Over 500 Dana Air staff blocked the entrance of the aviation company in Oshodi, Lagos State, protesting their sacking and the non-payment of their April salaries.
The incident involving a Dana aircraft skidding on the runway last month led to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority withdrawing its operation license.
NCAA mentioned that they started an internal compliance assessment of the incident, considering Dana’s past occurrences. They stated they would conduct a safety audit, including re-inspecting the organization, procedures, personnel, and aircraft as outlined in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations. Additionally, an economic audit will be carried out to evaluate the airline’s financial stability to ensure safe flight operations can be maintained.
Just two weeks after Dana Air’s operations were suspended, the airline let go of its staff, citing the ongoing audit by aviation regulators as the reason for their dismissal. During a protest in front of the company on Tuesday, the staff vowed to use all means necessary to combat what they perceive as an injustice.
According to thepaan, the staff held placards with messages like ‘Give us our money’, ‘An airline that owes its staff can’t be safe’, and ‘Systematic thieving’, expressed that apart from being unfairly dismissed, the airline has not paid their contributory pension, April salary, and other benefits.
A female staff said “I have been with Dana since 2008; I was part of those who participated in the demo flight that gave Dana its license; even when there were challenges when salaries were not paid, we remained committed until this issue of runway incursions, which is normal.
“But before we knew it, they started sending us WhatsApp messages saying our services were no longer needed. Who does that? What about our gratuity, pension, and even our April salary? This is not possible after 15 years of service ?”
An Aviation security supervisor at the protest ground, Eze Chidibere, voiced his frustration about the company’s failure to compensate the dismissed staff. He emphasized that this situation is already impacting the welfare of the employees’ families. He made a heartfelt plea to Dana’s management to promptly settle the outstanding payments owed to the workers. “even if they won’t be reabsorbed.”
Chidibere also accused Dana of deceitfully deducting employees’ pension contributions but failing to transfer the funds into their pension accounts.
Chidibere expressed that they came to stand up for their rights. He mentioned that after dedicating years to Dana Airlines, they abruptly let them go, claiming their services were no longer needed. It’s a fact that Dana flew until April before encountering issues, yet as of now, April’s salary remains unpaid and their children are at home because they can’t afford to pay their fees.
He further said that Many of his colleagues from outstations couldn’t join the protest today due to logistical challenges. If they could, this place would’ve been packed with over 500 staff members because people are incredibly upset.
Furthermore, when an organization lays off employees, they should provide a one-month salary as compensation because it’s common practice for staff to give a one-month notice before leaving. However, Dana disregarded this rule.
