Staff members of Dana Air recently laid off by the airline management, on Tuesday, staged a protest over the non-payment of their two months’ salaries (April and May) and contributory pensions dating back to 10 years, which they alleged has not been remitted into their pension fund.
The workers were sacked after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) grounded the airline’s operations due to an incident involving one of its aircraft.
The protest, which held at the airline’s headquarters in Lagos, led to the blockage of the entrance of the company at Oshodi-Isolo expressway. The protesting staff claimed that they received a “no service required” letter via WhatsApp without any further communication on how and when their salaries and benefits would be paid.
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, one of aggrieved workers said: “We had an incursion on April and we had already wrapped up and so, we are supposed to be paid and we are not paid. We are only here because we need our money, April salary, our one month in lieu of notice then our entitlements and for someone who has worked for 15 years, I need to be settled.”
An affected employee, Magdalene Onyeukwu, spoke about their plight, urging the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and the Acting Director General of the NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, to intervene and ensure justice.
“We are disgruntled staff and we are asking, if you are asking me to go, it means you are ready to pay me my benefits, they have to pay us our benefits, our gratuity, our pension, all they have collected over the years, put these together and give it to us,” Onyeukwu said.
