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A handful of ex-SAHCOL workers making their ire known at the NUATE Secretariat in Lagos over refusal to pay their benefits 11 years after

N1.8bn ex-workers’ redundancy: Former staff claim members’ dying as BPE, SAHCO refuse them benefits after 11 years

NigerianFlightDeck 6th October 2021 Appointments and Labour Leave a comment 84 Views

  • Gives SAHCOL mgt., BPE 7 day ultimatum over payment
THERE are claims from ex-workers of the Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) that their members are dying in droves as there is seemingly no hope in sight on how or when their severance benefits would be paid 11 years after the company was privatised and re-christened Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO).

The former workers claim that no fewer than 15 of the 982 ex-workers have died with many left incapacitated,  as the back and forth continues despite letters from the Ministry of Aviation and House of Representatives to both the Bureau of Public Enterprises and SAHCO management respectively over resolution of the matter. READ MORE: N1.8bn ex-SAHCOL workers benefits: Ministry, House write BPE, SAHCO over impending crisis

Ochai Adamu, who spoke on behalf of the motley crew of retirees at the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) office in Lagos Airport on Wednesday, alleged a lot of collusion on the part of the union within SAHCO claiming they are not helping the cause of the retirees.

The former workers had placards like: “BPE& SAHCOL pay us  our benefits! 7Days Ultimatum for payment of our benefits!

According to him, when the computation of the amount accruable to the workers was done, it was N3.5 billion but was later reduced to N1.8 billion at the insistence of the BPE, but since then no worker has been paid anything almost 12 years after the privatization of the company.
“The issue is who will pay this money? SAHCO MD said it is BPE that will pay the money , they said we did not work for SAHCO but for government, the first money was paid in 2013 was called ex-gratia but it was a peanut, our lawyers took up the matter in 2013 but majority of our people have died, more than 15 people, some are incapacitated.

“When the company was privatized, we were even told that staff will not lose their jobs but when it was completed over 1000 staff have lost their employment since privatization inception.”

” There was an understanding that both SAHCO and BPE will work out the payment modalities but nothing has been done since then. They only keep our case in view for more than 11 years.

“The issue got to the court but we settled out of court and now at Industrial court but the court is frustrating the matter as the presiding Judge gets transferred few days to the judgment day, this has been been the case and we are tired of waiting on Industrial court though the case is coming up again in November. We want the BPE to intervene now” , the workers said.

NigerianFLIGHTDECK also learnt that the matter was in the industrial court and  is due for hearing November 25, 2021 although the ex-workers are expressing frustration that since the court process started in 2014, the judges presiding over the matter have been transferred thrice, leaving a trail of doubt on their minds stressing that the perpetrators of what they described as wickedness are just buying time.

About NigerianFlightDeck

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Nigerianflightdeck is an online news and magazine platform reporting business stories with a bias for aviation and travel. It is borne out of the intention to inform, educate as well as alter perceptions with balanced reportage.

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