By Kemo Kanyi
NIRO Handling Company has dismissed claims of preferential treatment over Gambia International Airlines (GIA) saying it does not have unfair advantage in commercial flights handling over the state-owned operator.
It would be recalled that last week the GIA staff raised concern over what they described as NIRO’s preferential treatment over GIA resulting in unfair competition in the market.
Responding to the claims in a statement on Saturday, the NIRO Handling Company said it respected the right of every worker to raise concerns about employment and working conditions but it was quick to add that allegations against a company should be supported by facts and evidence.
According to NIRO, it is not responsible for the challenges facing GIA, adding that they entered the market as a duly authorised Gambian company and have competed for business by investing in equipment, people, training and service delivery.
“NIRO, therefore, rejects the suggestion that offering competitive prices constitutes unfair competition,” it stressed. “Our prices are based on our operating costs, investments, and commercial agreements with our airline customers.”
The company continues to argue that airlines are commercial customers and have the right to choose their service providers based on safety, quality, reliability, operational performance, and price and competition should encourage every operator to improve rather than restrict customer choice.
Reacting to allegations that senior government officials reserve shares in NIRO, the company emphasizes that the accusation is taken seriously, stressing that such serious claims must be backed by credible evidence to reveal any improper conduct.
It encourages the querying GIA staffers to present the evidence to the appropriate authorities, and the company is prepared to cooperate fully with any legitimate investigation.
“Allegations should not be presented as established facts without evidence,” the company stated.
NIRO says it has invested significantly in aviation services in The Gambia and continues to employ and train Gambians while developing its operations at Banjul International Airport.
It adds that it has no interest in seeing GIA workers lose their livelihoods and the legitimate concerns of employees should not be used to make NIRO the scapegoat for the commercial or operational challenges of another company.