By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Accept
Okay.ngOkay.ngOkay.ng
Font ResizerAa
  • News
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Business & Economy
  • Sport
  • Tech
Reading: Pilots, Engineers Shutdown Bristow Helicopters Operations
Share
Font ResizerAa
Okay.ngOkay.ng
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Business & Economy
  • Sport
  • Tech
Search
  • News
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Business & Economy
  • Sport
  • Tech
Follow US
  • About Okay.ng
  • Advertising on Okay.ng
  • Contact Okay.ng
  • Careers
  • Meet the Team behind Okay.ng
  • Ownership and Funding of Okay.ng
  • Editorial Principles at Okay.ng
© OKN MEDIA PUBLISHING 2022 - All rights reserved
News

Pilots, Engineers Shutdown Bristow Helicopters Operations

Farouk Mohammed
By Farouk Mohammed
Published: March 31, 2016
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

bristow1

Passengers of Bristow Helicopters in Port Harcourt, Rivers state were left stranded as the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers of Nigeria an affiliate of Trade Union Congress, TUC, as early as 6:30am stormed Bristow Helicopters and shut down all its offices in Port Harcourt thereby grounding all flight schedules today.

NAAPEN, Isaac Balami led the protesters along side national officials and the state Chairman of TUC to shut down the operations of Bristow Airlines in Port Harcourt.

According to Balami “For the past ten years our pilots and engineers working with Bristow Helicopters have suffered untold hardship due to discriminatory and slavish policies of the management of Bristow Helicopters. They treat them like they are in a slave camp. You will see a co-pilot who just has 200hrs experience from UK, South Africa and Canada earning far more than their Nigerian counterparts who have been working for years.

- Advertisement -

“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 co-pilots and the employing white men. We are even more competent than them. Today no helicopter of Bristow will fly until the Managing Director comes to answer us. We have also discovered that the management do not care about the welfare of workers. So before it becomes a safety issue they must come and hear us.”

Asked if shutting down the operations of the airline will assuage the feelings of his members, Balami said “This is just a few days warning strike to draw that attention of management to dialogue with us. Bristow operations cover about 60 per cent of the oil and gas sector of our economy, they know the implication of shutting down if they refuse to dialogue with us. If they don’t we’ll continue for the next one year.”

On the issue of challenges facing the company and recent air cashes by the airline, Balami said: “That is part of the problems we are going through. When it happened both passengers and our members are affected. This is why they must talk to us so that we address all the issues. What we have now can put Bristow in a worse situation. What we have are disgruntled engineers and pilots. It is a serious problem we can’t continue to accept the situation. For the safety of our members and passengers who fly every day we cannot accept it.

“We are not saying we want pay rise. We are not saying we want salary increments but what we are saying is we need valid conditions of service in tandem with the labour laws. We also want pay parity. We have other airlines that operate in this country and they obey the labour laws. Those airlines operate within the rules and regulations of this country where captains you are treated as a captains. Captains should be treated fairly whether white or black, they should be treated equally. They should not treat us as slaves in this country”.

- Advertisement -

Chika Onuegbu, Rivers State Chairman of TUC added that: “We have shut down all the offices of Bristow Helicopters and we have told the management, staff as well as passengers that they cannot go into the company premises.”

Meanwhile, passengers who were stunned by the industrial action were left stranded and confused.

Stay Updated on the Go with Our Latest News—Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
TAGGED:Bristow HelicoptersEngineersilots
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Email Copy Link Print
ByFarouk Mohammed
Publisher
Follow:
Farouk Mohammed is a Head Editor at Okay Nigeria (Okay.ng). He has been publishing for 10 years and focused more on Local/World News on Okay.ng
Previous Article #RiversRerun: INEC Releases Official Result 4 Federal And 11 State Constituencies
Next Article Bomb Alert At Sweden’s Second-largest Airport

Connect with Okay on Social

FacebookLike
XFollow
InstagramFollow
TelegramFollow

Dollar/Naira Rates

Dollar to Naira Exchange Rate

Okay.ng Logo
Buy Rate ₦1,605.00
Sell Rate ₦1,620.00

Last updated: 4 days ago (June 3, 2025 2:33 pm)

Displayed rates are for informational purposes only and are subject to change.

USD/NGN Converter

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Recent Posts

Pastor Adeboye
Pastor Adeboye Shares Divine Directive: Leaving RCCG Could Lead to Tragic Loss
News
Anglican Bishop of Lafia Calls on President Tinubu to Address Root Causes of Nigeria’s Insecurity and Economic Woes
News
Egbe Bobakeye Okunrin Akile Ijebu Refutes False Claims About Queen Elizabeth II’s 1956 Visit
News
NRC Managing Director Warns Against Railway Vandalism: “We Don’t Have Scraps, We Have National Assets”
News
Tragic Head-On Collision in Jigawa Claims Nine Lives, Dozens Injured
News
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You May Also Like

Sport

Victor Osimhen Returns to Nigeria as Al Hilal Transfer Hangs in Balance Ahead of FIFA Club World Cup

Oluwadara Akingbohungbe
Oluwadara Akingbohungbe
June 7, 2025
News

Tinubu Urged by PDP to Cut Fuel and Electricity Costs Amid Eid-el-Kabir Festivities

Oluwadara Akingbohungbe
Oluwadara Akingbohungbe
June 7, 2025
Mike Ejeagha
News

Mike Ejeagha, Nigerian Highlife Maestro, Dies at 95

Muhammad A. Aliyu
Muhammad A. Aliyu
June 7, 2025
Okay.ngOkay.ng
Follow US
© OKN MEDIA PUBLISHING 2025 - All rights reserved
  • About Okay.ng
  • Advertising on Okay.ng
  • Contact Okay.ng
  • Careers
  • Meet the Team behind Okay.ng
  • Ownership and Funding of Okay.ng
  • Editorial Principles at Okay.ng
adbanner
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?