The heated dispute between a newly formed labour union and the management of Ethiopian Airlines Group escalated this month with the intervention of continental and international trade unions.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation, which represents 18.5 million workers in the transport industry in 147 countries, wrote a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister calling  on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) to join the fray and resolve the issue. In the letter, the Federation expressed its concerns over the alleged interference of the management of the Airlines in the internal affairs of the newly formed Basic Trade Union.

The Federation intervened in the case following a call from its affiliate, the Ethiopian Transport & Communication Workers Unions Federation, of which the new trade union of Ethiopian Airlines workers is a member.

In its letter, the Federation described the alleged ongoing acts of interference by the management of the Airlines as a "stark violation of ILO Conventions," as well as a serious breach of the principles of association enshrined in the UnitedNation's Charter and other international and regional human rights treaties.

“We understand that instead of engaging in a constructive social dialogue with Union," reads the letter from Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the Federation, "the management of the company concentrated its efforts on weakening it right from the start."

The Federation also called the Prime Minister to encourage the management of the Airlines to engage in a constructive social dialogue with the Union.

The International Trade Union Confederation-Africa also wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for action to protect and safeguard the rights of the airline's workers to freedom of association and representation.

Signed by Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, general secretary of the Confederation, the letter alleged the management of Ethiopian Airlines prohibited the Union from recruiting members, dismissing two pilots due to participation in union activities, and suspending the chairperson of the Union as well as intimidating staff to prevent them from joining the Union.

However, the Airlines denied this, saying that no attempt was done to suspend the chairperson.

"There is no lay-off decision or attempt of that against the Chairman," reads an email from Ethiopian Airlines. "Rather he has put himself out of duty by refusing the flight assignment given by the Company long before the establishment of the New Union."

The Airlines also stated that it cannot respond to the alleged dismissal of the pilots and others, stating that some of the cases are non-existent, include false allegations and are factually incorrect.

However, Addisu Weldemichael (Cap.), one of the alleged terminated pilots, confirmed his termination to Fortune.