Obviously, the country’s aviation sector is going through some bad times as fresh challenges crop up daily.
It’s either the airlines are complaining of exorbitant aviation fuel (Jet A1), lack of forex, infrastructural decay, multiple taxation system among many others, or the unions are threatening fire and brimstones over issues such as poor conditions of service, imposition of outsiders on the various agencies, abuse of the laid down civil service rules regarding workers’ promotion and so on.
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All these have continued to further complicate the myriad of challenges confronting the sector as it has almost now become one week, one trouble for it.
However, as reasonable as most of these agitations would have been to make the government act on them, it has been observed that many factors are working against making them achievable.
Top on the factors militating against achieving the goals of the different key players particularly the airlines and the unions is the lack of unity the members often display anytime there is the need to fight a common cause.
Therefore, the drama that played out in the recent past amongst members of the two groups while agitating for better participation of government in making airline business more conducive on one side and improving workers’ conditions of service more favourable rather than convince the government and other key players, almost rubbished the attempt.
The disjointed attitude displayed by some members of the groups has only showed why it may be tough for them to easily prevail on government to listen to their demand in future.
According to an adage that says ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand’, the failure of the groups to speak with one voice anytime issues affecting their existence crop up may make it difficult for them to sway the government to their sides.
The sector and Nigerians at large were, therefore, confused recently when the airlines, having come together to itemise the challenges confronting them which they claimed may force them to shut down their operations suddenly suffered a crack as some of their members, who initially supported the agitation started pulling out one after the other following different excuses.
As the dust was yet to settle, the aviation unions equally suffered the same fate as some of them equally backed down on an earlier agreement to hold a two-day warning strike.
The decisions of some members of the airlines and unions to pull out of the earlier agreements is tantamount to shifting the goalpost at the middle of a game which only portrayed them as unserious.
Agreed that those who pulled out of the struggles gave their reasons, but for the fact that they took their actions after showing solidarity with their association was unethical.
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Among the questions on the lips of stakeholders include: should the agitations yield positive results; will those who pulled out not benefit from it or will they still pull out of the dividends. Besides, don’t they think their actions are capable of having negative implications on the generality of the airlines and unions in subsequent struggles and who stands with them when they are faced with their own challenges? All these and many other questions are calling for answers.
All these unstable attitudes will surely backfire on the entire sector sooner than later which will make it almost impossible for other stakeholders to take them seriously.
To say there are cracks in the walls of the groups may not be an exaggeration and this should not be allowed to linger on for too long as the sector does not need division amongst the different groups in the interest of all.
There are many issues calling for government attention and this can only be achieved by speaking with one voice and not a case of working at cross purposes for whatever reasons.
Until the different groups come together, it may be tough for the sector that is already enmeshed in different crisis which can only be tackled under a very tight loyalty devoid of any compromise. Aviation business cannot survive in an uncoordinated and disorganised atmosphere.
Source: tribuneonlineng.com