Bristow lockout

[Patode]

Bristow loclout in Nigeria

I got a phone call from some colleague in Lagos, that there is an on-going industrial action at Bristows in Nigeria. Anyone who has a more authentic info should please confirm this. My info is that the national pilots, engineers and admin staffs are on strike.

[enijose1]

Well, from information that i heard, its not the national pilots. Its the NUATE union.National union of Air transport employees, more like the non-flying department. They expect the pilots to join them however and they are doing that forcefully by locking up all entry and exits into the premises. No one goes in, no one gets out.

[gooze]

It is true that there is an on-going industrial action in Bristow Helicopters Nigeria and it involves all the Nationals. This doesn't exclude the Pilots and the Engineers. From my own sources, The head office in Ikeja Lagos has been on a lockdown Since Monday the 10th of August.
I just wonder why the management has allowed things to deteriorate that much.
And from all indications it is a serious matter.
I am also being informed that amongst all other things that have been issues in the system, That Foreign First Officers in the company earn more than the National Captains.
WOW! how is that possible? Is that ethical?

[gooze]

I am also being informed that amongst all other things that have been issues in the system, That Foreign First Officers in the company earn more than the National Captains.
WOW! how is that possible? Is that ethical?

[No RYR for me]

Yes everything is possible. If they would not pay the foreign FO's a decent wage they would not be there. There is only one reason to go to that place: money....

[gooze]

Then you are saying that the industrial action is justified.

[Norman Stanley Fletcher]

It is universal practice in numerous industries to pay foreign ex-pat staff more than the locals. There are very good reasons for this - not least of which is that you cannot get the necessary people to work for you if you do not. The reason that Bristows in Nigeria employ foreign helicopter pilots is that there are insufficient competent, experienced and available locals to employ in that capacity. Clearly if the necessary staff were available at a lower rate then the company would employ them. You are then forced to employ ex-pats at whatever it takes to get them to work for you - it is not rocket science, simply supply and demand. If you can buy a house for $x in Nigeria but that same house costs $xxx in the UK or Europe, you have to pay the wages necessary for you employees to run their family affairs in their homeland. I am at a slight loss to see the problem here - this is absolutely common practice throughout the world in every industry.

[gooze]

Then it is therefore not out of place for the nationals to demand for equal treatment because they two categories of pilots(national and ex pats)are exposed to the same risks and hazards in the business. Especially in a region like Nigeria which has quite volatile regions. Sometime ago some bristow pilots got ambushed on their way to work, two of them received bullet wounds. Now tell me; the two national pilots that got hit could have died in that ordeal.
What about the issue of the bristow helicopter that got hit by a bullet while taking passengers to work on the rigs in May 2009? Again the pilots involved and the passengers could have lost their lives. so tell me what the rational is for paying an ex pat captain twice as much as his National counterpart. That it is common practice world wide doesn't make it right.

[B412]

Get your facts right.

National Captains make more money than an expat FO. FACT.
This strike as I have heard has very little to do with air crew. It has to do with the admin, check in, and other support staff so I understand. National pilots are not at work because they have been threatened, yes physically threatened, when they went to work.
Lets not read in a load of BS just to broaden the usual rubbish on this forum. Bristow is a good company and I am sure things will settle down. Facts people, lets discuss what IS happening.....

[LH2]

So is there any flying happening in and out of Bristow's Lagos facilities at the moment?


(Note to the fixed wing types who have flocked in here for some reason: there are other places to discuss the general issue of salaries and treatment of locals vs. expats, etc. Please be kind and use another thread for that)

[Patode]

Since nothing has been heard of the minor Bristow problem, I take it that all has been taken care of. The goose that lays the golden egg is still alive and kicking strong. Bristow has solved the problem with COBI and all is now quiet and bizness is cool.

[The Claw]

They went back to work on the 25th Aug, I believe!

[V1... Ooops]

Originally Posted by Norman Stanley Fletcher

It is universal practice in numerous industries to pay foreign ex-pat staff more than the locals. There are very good reasons for this - not least of which is that you cannot get the necessary people to work for you if you do not.

Yeah, that's very true, but an employer has to be dumb as a bag of rocks to pay different salaries to employees doing the exact same job with the exact same qualifications simply because one is an expat and the other is a local. This applies to any industry, not just aviation.

It's understandable if an employer has to bring in a temporary expat employee at a higher wage than the regular staff get (heck, in the first world, we call those folks 'consultants' or 'contractors'), but it's just asking for trouble to have permanant staff on different salary scales based on nationality or residence.

I doubt if the amount of money saved (the differential) comes anywhere close to justifying the headaches that such a policy causes.

[M80]

In most industries requiring relocation there is a significant difference between local and foreign contracts, regardless of nationality. An ex-pat in country can be hired with a local contract, which normally excludes the bells and whistles of relocation allowance, flights home, etc... It's not as nefarious as this thread makes out. For more info, i'd recommend the book Generation Ex-pat.

Sorry for the thread creep - back to Bristow situation.