Aero|Latest Update on the fued between Aero, Nuate and Atsssan

Hmmm….a lot seems to be going on in Aero right now. The fued between Aero management, the NATIONAL UNION OF AIR TRANSPORT EMPLOYEES ( NUATE) and  AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA(ATSSSAN) representing the staffs  seems not to be over after all.

Surprisingly, series of communication between both parties have gone viral on the social media and the allegations are quite mind boggling……

See what is trending right now in Aero below:

Great Aero Workers,

BE PREPARED LIKE BOY-SCOUTS FOR ACTION AGAINST AERO MANAGEMENT BEFORE THEY MILK OUR SACRED COW TO EARLY GRAVE: IT IS TIME TO CHASE THE GOLD-DIGGERS OUT OF OUR BAN

“EVENTS HAPPEN TWICE IN HISTORY. THE FIRST AS A FARCE, THE SECOND AS A TRAGEDY”

The plots to bankrupt our great company has reached its peak by principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and wicked cabals in high places- inside our Board of Directors and sabotaged, non-existing Management. We have come to a point where the woods depart the road and we have no other viable option than to either take our destinies in our hands or allowed these devious forces to destroy Aero Contractors. It is paradoxical that people never learn from history as the Management of Aero is determined to once again thread the path of perdition that led to the shut-down of the company for 18 days in 2013.

The working conditions of workers who are the goose that lay the golden eggs in recent time, have been nose-diving from frying pan to fire while the Ibrus, Mrs Eniye Ukpeh-led Board of Directors and Cronies are enjoying the life of their lives with looted funds from the emasculated purse of Aero just as the Baboons wey dey chop when Monkeys dey labour. The Unions have only demanded that the company should resume and conclude the review of the Conditions of Service which lapsed five years ago and for the entrenchment of sound  organisational structure in the company but Management/Board responded by victimising the Branch Chairmen of ATSSSAN/NUATE for attending a congress which the Management itself approved.

It is tragic that a company that has glorious beginning in 1959 as a competitive global standard body, subsidiary of Schreiner Airways B.V. of Netherlands and at a point in technical partnership with Canadian Helicopter Company (CHC) but only to be gradually taken over by the Ibru family through Nigerian Oteri Holding and subsequently run down with sharp financial malpractices such as the following few, most notorious instances:

DAYLIGHT ROBERY BY AMCON LED BOARD
1.      Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000:00)was paid twice in favour of Bayo – Negotiation & Finalization of restructuring with AMCON.

2.      Two Hundred and Sixty Million Naira ( N266M) Negotiated Settlement Fee to AMCON siphoned through Austen Peters & Co but transferred to Alpine Gates Company.

3.      Where exactly is the Nineteen Billion Naira (N19, 000,000,000:00) that AMCON claimed to have invested in Aero since taking it over sometime in 2011?

4.      What is the essence of payingOver one million dollars ($1,000,000:00) to Wall & Ace as legal fees to advice management on industrial dispute which should ordinarily be the job of Human Resource Department?

5.      With internal connivance Nine million dollars ($9,000,000:00) was transferred and lost to a company Embrer for the purchase of aircraft as the deal was botched.

6.       Proxy organisations,Skybourne Logistics was collecting Nine Hundred and Eighty Naira  (N980) per boarding pass which should ordinarily cost less than Twenty Five Naira (N25)a piece, D ‘Angelos and Greater Washington are not left out of the bounty sharing equation.

7.      There is also a case where the Cross River State Government paid Four Million dollars ($4,000,000:00) to Aero in 2013 by Cross Rivers State Government to service their Dash-8-200 was shared by Management  and AMCON representatives in the Board.

WHEN IT COMES TO SLEAZE, MRS ENIYE UKPE AMBAKEREME IS WORSE THAN DIEZIANE MADUEKE
·         She castrated the Management team from running the organisation as a professional concern and practically took it over as her personal fiefdom, sacking anybody who does not dance well to her whims and caprices.

·         The Aero Board Chairperson (Mrs Eniye) put the last Management of Aero under pressure to sign an illegal contract with one INAGBO Nig Limited owned by one of her kinsmen, Chief Henry Michal Bieterfie. The contract is to collect a monthly commission on all Aero corporate contracts, as he claims to help Aero on her credit control. This money amounts to more than Thirty Million naira monthly (N30, 000,000:00) that prompt payment is considered top priority and major KPI for finance department well over staff salary and operational expenses .

·         The juicy Chevron Contract was deliberately sabotaged so that she can take it over by proxy firm.

·         Aero’s catering costs was increased from an average of Twenty Five Million naira monthly to over Sixty million naira monthly.

·         The over Nine Million dollars ($9,000,000:00) paid to Embraer S.A for the purchase of Embraer aircraft that was botched is being re-examined. The present Management has been trying to see how it can utilize this money with Embraer but the Chairperson and AMCON representative, Ms Prisca Ndu will not allow any meaningful progress to be made due to selfishness but a single holiday trip with her boyfriend at the expense of AERO (a going concern…) to the tune of NGN 5,000,000.00 was approved to her.

·         What are the Payments made to proxy companies in foreign transfers to Jussi Savuoski for? As well as over One hundred million ($100Million) to Bayo Negotiations and FIN Exec.

·         Recently, the present Management was alerted by an Israeli company that Aero is being overcharged on engine lease.  It pays Seventy Five Thousand Dollars ($75,000) as against Forty Five Thousand Dollars ($45,000)but a blind eye was turned to this fact by an internal auditor who AERO was forced to pay NGN 29,000,000.00 annually. But the Chairperson has refused and denied the present Management from changing to cheaper lessorsor even to investigate the issue at the very least.

We have resolved that we cannot continue to suffer and smile, thus, we call on the Government, all well-meaning Nigerians within the industry and the general public to help bring the Board and Management of Aero Contractors Nigeria Ltd to their senses by stopping immediately the harassment, victimisation and violation of the fundamental rights of employees who are members to associate under our Union banners to improve their welfare and working conditions. It is instructive to alert that if at the expiration of our 48 hours ultimatum by Mid-night of Thursday, 14th January, 2016, the suspension of Branch Chairmen has not been reversed and constructive steps are not taken to address the lingering demands of workers, we shall commence industrial action to ensure that justice is done without the heaven falling.

DARE TO STRUGGLE…DARE TO WIN. VIVA AERO WORKERS

ISSUED BY:

AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA(ATSSSAN) &

NATIONAL UNION OF AIR TRANSPORT EMPLOYEES ( NUATE)

JANUARY, 2016.

Information gathered reveals that the Union Branch Chairman, on Monday, 11th January 2016 , was suspended over the Unions meeting.

Below is the letter sent by the Union to the Management over the suspension.

 

The Ag. Managing Director/CEO

Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd

ATTENTION: AG. HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES

Dear Sir,

RE: SUSPENSION

Kindly refer to the letter of suspension for one month without pay issued to our Branch Chairman, Comrade Emarkpor Ayo-Ife on Monday, 11th January 2016 over a congress meeting held in Aero on Monday, 14th December 2015 which was approved by management.

You will also recall that we had written a joint letter (ATSSSAN/NUATE) absorbing him and the NUATE Chairman of any complicity in the congress as alleged.  It is obvious that Comrade Emarkpor Ayo-Ife suspension was ostensibly on the spurious ground of attending a workers’ congress which you considered to be a breach of confidentiality and oath of employment.

Your actions is not only illogical and against section 9(6) of the Labour Act, CAP L1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Conventions Number 87 on freedom of Association and Protection of the ILO, but a huge threat to the existing industrial relations democracy and a careless invitation to industrial hara-kiri.

Again, we write to state categorically in all equivocal terms absorbing him of any of such and ask that the suspension be reversed within FORTY EIGHT HOURS (48 hours).

We will be left with no other viable option than to move the Secretariat of ATSSSAN temporary to Aero Contractors Nigeria Limited if this demonic letter of suspension is not withdrawn immediately.

Yours faithfully,

For: Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN)

For: General Secretary

In the light of the ongoing crisis, see what the Acting MD has communicated on the issue to the staffs.

 

Dear Colleagues,

I write to you once again, this time on the recent happenings between Management and our Unions, most especially ATSSSAN and NUATE.

We are well aware of the numerous unresolved staff welfare issues, and I will hereby like to re affirm management’s commitment to review and resolve all these issues at the right time.

I also commend the commitment of staff who have not been appraised/promoted   in years, but are still dedicated to ensuring that this great company of ours survives despite its short comings, your efforts are not in vain.

Our primary objective still remains the huge task of turning this great company of our around, which can only be achieved by our collective and selfless efforts.

In working together to achieve our set business goals, we must realize that indiscipline amongst staff will only set us back and throw us off our projected tangent. We should also learn how best to separate staff disciplinary issues from staff welfare issues, and deal with them accordingly.

Management would also like to reaffirm its commitment to treat all staff fairly, and to discourage all forms of witch hunting, indiscipline, truancy and insubordination as these vices have been the key contributors to our company’s present  state. All disciplinary queries will be dealt with fairly, without bias, and in accordance with our admin policy.

Ladies and gentlemen, the survival of this great company is in our hands, the choice is ours.

Regards

Lets watch as events unfolds. Aero should not be allowed to go down like some Airlines did in the past. Apparently alot of people will be affected: passengers, staffs and their families….