Bristow Helicopters has announced the layoff over 100 pilots and engineers in its employ stating that the workers were sacked due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on its operations.
The company which disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday, described the sack as “painful”, saying it engaged with the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) to negotiate a fair and equitable redundancy compensation for those affected.
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“This decision has not been made lightly, but having considered the state of the business and the very serious constraints caused by the spread of the COVID-19 disease and the downturn in the oil and gas market, the company must now take this painful, but decisive step to ensure the continuity of its business and delivery of essential services to its clients.
“One of these measures includes the right-sizing of the business to ensure that the company has the optimal level of personnel to continue the safe delivery of its services to its clients, whilst allowing the appropriate capacity for future growth.
“Accordingly, and with much regret, the company has taken the very difficult decision to release over 100 pilots and engineers (both National and Expatriates) over the next couple of weeks,” the statement read in part.
This is coming barely 24 hours after Nigeria’s leading airline, Peace Air, sacked 75 pilots in its employ while slashing retained staff salaries by up to 40 percent.
