Many of the access roads leading to the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos were yesterday blocked by aviation workers protesting the Federal Government’s alleged failure to address their concerns.
Following the severity of the case, the government was forced to make a response, calling on the workers to end the industrial action.
The situation was not different in Abuja, Kaduna, and other major cities as the striking aviation workers locked accesses to the departure and arrival halls.
The aviation workers’ action, coordinated under a coalition, had caused serious traffic gridlock around the Airport Road in Ikeja, and the entrance to the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two terminal was largely affected.
Travellers were left stranded and distraught, making desperate efforts to catch their flights.
The coalition of aviation workers’ unions had announced a two-day strike over what they described as the government’s failure to address their concerns bordering on national minimum wage, consequential adjustment, general working conditions, and ‘unresolved grievances’.
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Some of the issues raised include those of the national minimum wage, consequential adjustment, and working conditions.
The main unions in the coalition include the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
Later in a statement yesterday, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) chapter of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) advised travellers and stakeholders to facilitate contingency plans to avoid missing their flights and appointments.
FAAN said the strike was in response to the two-day strike of the aviation unions, which it said could disrupt scheduled flight operations.
According to the authority, NAIA would be active for operations as usual. It, however, warned that passengers may experience disruptions in flight operations as a result of the planned strike action.
Meanwhile, the aviation authority has expressed its regrets for any inconvenience that may be faced by travellers.
As it stands, the aviation industry could be set to experience a total shutdown today if the aviation union threatens to proceed with a full-blown strike.
The General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical, and Recreational Services Employees, Comrade Sikiru Waheed, spoke to journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
He said the second day of the ongoing strike will be more effective than the first day, adding that the first day of the strike was just a warning to the public and the government that the workers were serious about their demands.
“Day two of the strike would be more effective than what you are seeing here now because we only have some leverage today to serve as a warning to other people that are travelling,” he said.
He also urged people who have plans to travel today to shelve their plans, saying that the strike action would lead to a total shutdown.
Waheed assured, “So, people who need to travel tomorrow should please don’t book a flight for tomorrow because it is going to be a total shutdown, it is not going to be like today. By 5:00 am we will be here to shut down everywhere.
“We are appealing to all those that want to travel that they should shove their journey for tomorrow because it may be disrupted. It is a warning for everyone in the public.”
In Kaduna, aviation workers yesterday shut down activities at the airport as they began the two-day warning strike.
The workers blocked roads leading to the airport and locked up offices, including the terminal building and the control tower.
The workers embarked on the strike to drive home their demands from the Federal Government.
The workers listed their grievances including non-payment of minimum wage arrears, as well as the cancellation of a planned demolition of workers’ offices in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has pleaded with the workers to end the strike.
Reporters who visited the airport noted that passengers arriving at the Abuja airport were left stranded due to heavy traffic and a union lockdown of the check-in halls, causing long queues and disrupted vehicular movement.
Checks show that the entrance to the check-in halls was locked by union officials, leaving many passengers scheduled to travel stranded. An official, who requested anonymity, said that many of the stranded passengers missed their flights due to the union’s actions.
