Over 500 Dana Air staff decry poor disengagement strategy, seek redress

By Olusegun Olanrewaju

Over 500 Dana Air employees have expressed their dissatisfaction with the company’s inadequate disengagement strategy and are seeking redress.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had recently directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to suspend the airline over runway excursion at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos.

As a result of the development, the airline disengaged some of its staff members till the end of the operational audit.

However, in some ‘cross-purpose’ correspondences between the embattled workers and the management of the airline obtained by ThisNigeria yesterday, the employees are calling attention to the need for a more effective approach to their disengagement process, highlighting concerns about their treatment of this transition.

In a letter addressed to the Group Managing Director of the airline, Jacky Hathiramani, workers of the company expressed what they called their “profound disappointment regarding recent events following the termination of over 500 staff members.”

This, they stated, was without the provision of “our legally-entitled benefits.”

They wrote, “We have made numerous attempts to engage constructively with the management of Dana Air, only to be met with disregard and dishonesty.

“Our concerns are severe and multifaceted, reflecting a deep-rooted disregard for employee welfare and legal obligations.”

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Part of their grievances, the aggrieved staff detailed, revolves around such headings as ‘persistent disregard for staff welfare’, alleged ‘intended invasion of accountability’, ‘misleading claims about salary payments’, unlawful retention of deductions’, to ‘misappropriation of responsibility’.

Others are ‘inconsistent compliance with regulatory standards’, and ‘historical pattern of exploitation’, among others.

“Despite our peaceful protest on the 21st and 22nd of May, conducted with the hope of drawing attention to our plight, you chose to ignore our pleas.

“The protest was a direct response to the unapologetic neglect of staff rights under your administration, highlighted by your refusal to address our grievances publicly or in private after the media’s departure. This blatant indifference exacerbates the distress amongst the sacked staff,” they grumbled to their CEO.

About the issue of ‘intended evasion of accountability’, the aggrieved DANA staff said, “We are aware of your plans to vacate your position at Dana Air clandestinely, despite assuring the Minister of Aviation of new investors and fleet expansions.

“This alleged strategy involves dismissing staff under the guise of operational audits, and without requisite consent from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Such actions are destructive and can invalidate the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC).”

The petitioners also dragged their boss to the public glare with a loud complaint about sundry cases of ‘misleading claims about salary payments, alluding to the ‘fact’ that ”Your assertion that over 50 per cent of the staff received their April salaries is patently false.”

Rather, they further stated, “The reality is that only 15 per cent of the staff have been partially paid.

“Given the significant revenue of N3.6bn generated in April alone, it is perplexing that the modest NGN350m required to settle staff salaries cannot be disbursed. “This discrepancy raises serious questions regarding the financial integrity of Dana Air under your leadership.”

Next on the agenda of DANA workers’ welfare complaints is ‘unlawful retention of ‘deductions.

Under this banner is the fact, they alleged, that ”For the past 15 years, pension contributions and taxes deducted from staff salaries have not been remitted to the appropriate bodies.

”This constitutes a grave violation of financial regulations and employees’ trust.

”The failure to remit these deductions jeopardises our futures and violates our fundamental rights as employees.

On ‘misappropriation of ‘responsibility, they wrote, “The devastating runway excursion incident on April 23rd was avoidable.

“The pilot involved had not received his salary since February and was under immense personal duress. It is both irresponsible and unethical to deflect blame onto external parties when the root cause lies in the management’s failure to uphold operational and financial obligations,” they added.

As per the matter of ‘inconsistent compliance with regulatory standards, the workers took their MD to the cleaners, listing, ”The frequent suspension of Dana Air’s AOC – in July 2022, September 2023, and April 2024 – indicates systemic issues within the management.

”Furthermore, the recurrent changes in the position of director of maintenance underscore a chronic instability that compromises both staff welfare and operational safety.

Perhaps more prominent among the charges against the Hathiramani-led management, is the issue of alleged ‘historical pattern of exploitation’.

The workers complemented their requests for ‘justice’ with a call ”upon the Minister of Aviation, the Director-General of the NCAA, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), the National Assembly (NASS), and the aviation unions to intervene urgently.

”The management of Dana Air must be held accountable for these injustices,” they wrote.

This was backed up with a plea, specifically to the Minister of Aviation, imploring him ”to ensure that your fellow Nigerians are treated with dignity and fairness”.

To the DG of the NCAA, a desperate plea was also sent forth, ”We urge you to consider strict sanctions against Dana Air, potentially revoking their AOC to safeguard staff welfare and the overall safety of the flying public.

Members of the press and the broader aviation community also got a distress call from the airline workers, ”We beseech you to amplify our voices and advocate for just treatment and due compensation for all affected staff.

Also addressed to the GMD/CEO, it unearths, “Regarding your communication dated the 22nd May 2024 and with the above subject matter, we, the recently disengaged staff members of Dana Airlines, find it imperative to respond to the communication with the utmost gravity and precision.

”Your recent email, filled with falsehoods and misrepresentations, necessitates a thorough repudiation. We wish to address the following points to underscore the severity of our grievances.

On this plane, the distressed, disengaged Dana workers stated, that they were enraged on various premises, including; ‘misrepresentation of communication attempts’; ‘neglect of responsibility and financial transparency’; ‘misrepresentation of the AOC suspension’; and ‘falsehood regarding salary payments’.

Others are, ‘failure to follow procedural order’; (complaint about) ‘outstanding deductions and allowances’; and ‘questionable actions regarding Dana AOC’;

As per their first bone of contention, ‘misrepresentation of communication attempts, the disengaged staff penned, ”The assertion that your attempts to engage with protesting staff were declined is false.

”At no juncture did staff members refuse to speak with you; rather, we opposed the unreasonable demand to exclude media presence and relinquish our phones, which was perceived as an attempt to obfuscate the truth.

”Your imposition of these conditions was met with justified resistance. The protest, which was conducted with utmost civility, did not impede access to or from the premises.

On the second point, “neglect of responsibility and financial transparency, they wrote, “The protest emerged as a direct consequence of your management’s blatant disregard for its obligations to its staff.

Their angst against ‘misrepresentation of the AOC ‘suspension was rooted in ”your attempt to correlate the suspension of Dana’s AOC by the NCAA with the airline’s inability to remunerate its staff (which) is fundamentally flawed.

They also addressed the issue of ‘falsehood regarding salary payments’: Agreeing with staff still on duty, they said, ”Your claim that over 50 per cent of the staff have received their April salaries is unequivocally false.

”In reality, a mere 15 per cent of the staff have been paid, with around half of these payments being either incomplete or calculated at outdated salary rates.”

Such ‘misinformation’ they affirmed, ”erodes trust and exacerbates the existing discontent among the workforce.

Regarding ‘failure to follow procedural order, the protesting workers stated that they were perturbed by the company’s deviation from the established procedural order.

Their words, ”The completion of April salary payments for all staff, alongside the settlement of one to three months’ salary in lieu of notice as per contractual obligations, must precede any discussions regarding Full and Final Settlements (FSS).

”This includes settlements for current staff, those placed on redundancy at the Enugu Station, and those who have departed or were dismissed from 2008 to the present.

”Additionally, the formula used for calculating the FSS must be shared with all staff members, to ensure transparency and fairness. Furthermore, pay slips for all the months that were not previously issued to staff must be provided without delay.”

*Management’s response

Reacting to the allegations, the management of Dana Air, in a letter dated 22 May 2024 entitled: Progress update on final salary payments’ by the GMD/CEO, states, “I want to express my sincerest apologies for the delay in salaries which was caused by the sudden suspension of our AOC.

“We understand the frustration and inconvenience this has caused every one of you affected by this situation and we are sincerely sorry.

“However, I want to appeal to all of you for calm and understanding as we work diligently to resolve this matter. We have heard your demands and we have not denied them either.

“Progress has been made for over half of the staff so far who have already received their April salaries and the balance also should be completed next week, God willing. We have also almost concluded the process for all final settlements (FFS).

“In the coming week, the HR department will commence inviting staff members individually to discuss both our contractual obligations, which will include providing you with all the necessary details regarding your final settlements.”