By Jimitota Onoyume, Lawani Mikairu & Daniel Eteghe

PORT HARCOURT— MEMBERS of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE,  an affiliate of  Trade Union Congress,  TUC, in Rivers State, yesterday, disrupted operations of Bristow Helicopters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as they protested what they dubbed lopsided conditions of service.

In their separate comments, Chairman, TUC, in the state, Mr Chika Onuegbu and Isaac Balami of NAAPEN, told newsmen that the management of Bristow Helicopters  has been treating Nigerian captains shabbily,  stressing that foreign pilots with little experience were better treated than their Nigerian counterparts with far longer years of service.

They said that the essence of the protest was to force the management of the firm to do what was right.

“Nigerian pilots and engineers are treated like slaves in their own country. A job that a Nigerian can do, they sack him and give it to a foreigner and pay him more. They have been sacking our pilots and employing foreigners. We are even more competent than the foreigners. Today (yesterday), no helicopter of Bristow will fly until the Managing Director comes to answer us. We have also discovered that the management does not care about the welfare of workers. So, before it becomes a safety issue, they must come and hear us,” Balami said.

Meanwhile, NAAPE, yesterday, suspended the strike.

Disclosing this to newsmen, General Secretary of NAAPE, Mr Ocheme Aba, said that the union had to suspend the strike due to the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Labour in the matter, adding that the ministry had made an appeal to the union to allow the ministry offer its mediation service.

Aba said that the leadership of the union was happy with the success of the warning strike against Bristow management, yesterday.

“I can inform that the Federal Ministry of Labour has intervened in the matter and has made an appeal to the union to allow the ministry offer its mediation service.

“Out of respect for the Federal Ministry of Labour, the union has suspended the two day warning strike with effect from today,” Aba said.