By Etuka Sunday
The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO aviance) has cleared the air on the reasons why it undertook its recent restructuring.
The Company said in a statement in Lagos that the exercise was carried out in order to reposition the company for a more dominant role in the Nigerian aviation industry.
The Manager, Corporate Communications & Branding of the Company, Mr Tayo Ajakaye was quoted in the statement as saying that although the number of staff asked to go was really small compared to the huge working population of the company, the workers unions in the sector were carried along during the entire process.
He said about 11 managerial staff were affected in the process.
Ajakaye recalled that between September 12 and 14 this year, a retreat was held by the senior management of the Company with Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) on the board’s decision to reposition NAHCO aviance for emerging opportunities in the sector.
At the retreat, it was agreed that the Company was top heavy and that there was the need to trim down the managerial staff for the Company to respond positively to strategic investments being made in the company by its shareholders.
Ajakaye said it was on the basis of this that some of the managerial staff were asked to go after a befitting severance package had been agreed on with the unions.
Ajakaye denied insinuations that all 11 staff were sacked pointing out that a few of them were redeployed to other units where their services would be more relevant to the Company, but instead of moving, they elected to resign.
The nahco aviance spokesman berated people whom he said had been going round some newspapers houses and spreading falsehood against the company.
He said it was laughable that some staff whose names are being added to the list of those disengaged by the alarmists are actually still in the service of the Company.
He maintained that before the decision to let go was finally arrived, the files of the concerned staff were looked into and it was found that a few of them were given illegal employment while one or two others have disciplinary issues.
He added that unlike the propagandists would like the world to believe, there is no tension whatsoever in nahco aviance as all management and staff were busy trying to clear the backlog of cargo in the tarmac and its warehouse occasioned by the closure of the warehouse for two weeks by the Nigeria Customs Service.
He said the Company is looking inwards and realigning its human resource to move it to the next level adding that although the restructuring is continuing, the other phases of the exercise would not involve the loss of jobs.
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