Passengers Stranded As Aviation Workers Begin Strike

Aviation workers have begun a two-day warning strike on Monday, leading to blockades on access roads to both the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airports in Lagos.

The strike, which was called by five aviation unions, was in protest of poor working conditions and entitlements, leaving passengers stranded.

The situation has led to a serious gridlock along Airport Road in the Ikeja axis of Lagos, with the entrance of the Murtala Muhammed Airports Terminal Two (MMA2) being mostly affected.

It was gathered that officials of various aviation agencies, including owners of businesses and staff within the airport, did not have access to their offices.

According to our correspondent who monitored the airport, flight operations were grounded, and some passengers, who spoke with newsmen, lamented the situation, noting that they were at the receiving end of the “crossfire.”

Last week, aviation unions announced plans to embark on a warning strike over the failure of the federal government to meet their demands for minimum wage and other sundry issues.

The unions involved are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees.

The workers are demanding the approval and implementation of the agreement condition of service (CoS) as agreed between them and the Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), and the office of the head of the civil service of the federation.

They are also demanding the non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019 and the planned demolition exercise of all the agency buildings in Lagos by the minister of aviation for an airport city project.

Speaking on Monday, with newsmen at MMA2, Abdulrasaq Saidu, Secretary-General of ANAP, said it was high time the government adhered to their terms.

He said the unions were tired of the non-responsiveness of the federal government to their grievances. According to Saidu, workers in the aviation sector have had to go through several challenges which had lingered for the past seven years.

“For the past seven years, it is time to free the aviation workers from the yoke of imperialism, bad governance, and too much corruption in the industry without addressing workers’ welfare,” he said.

“So today, we say, enough is enough and that is why we have this strike. The strike continues tomorrow even if the security authorities get involved. We have no arms, we are civil.”