Following what it described as betrayal, the management of Arik Air has dismissed some of its pilots for embarking on a strike.
According to the airline, the act by the pilots is gross indiscipline and “without recourse to lay down procedures.”
In a statement, the airline said, “The management of Arik Air (In Receivership) on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 dismissed several of its pilots for gross acts of indiscipline. The affected pilots were dismissed for embarking on a strike action without recourse to lay down procedures.
“The pilots did not serve a strike notice in accordance with labour laws. They neither submitted any issue of dispute to the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers, their umbrella union nor did they submit any statement of demands to the management of the company.
“There were also no ongoing discussions between the management and the pilots on any unresolved labour issues. Their actions were spontaneous and callous.”
The airline further noted that it was an act of betrayal for some of its pilots to embark on a strike action during the Yuletide season as it is its peak period for travel.
It said it recently had fruitful discussions with relevant aviation unions including the National Association of Airline Pilots and Engineers, on conditions of service for all employees recently and that this had led to the signing of a robust condition of service and redundancy benefits for staff.
