Aviation Workers Begin Two-day Warning Strike; Grounds Airports

By Ayodele Oni

True to their threat to commence a two- day warning strike from Monday, Nigeria’s aviation workers, demanding for better conditions of service, have grounded both local and international flights.

Apart from better service conditions, the Unions are also prevailing on the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika over his planned move to demolish the Lagos office of aviation agencies headquarters to pave way for an Aerotropolis (Airport City).

Series of meetings held by the Minister with the Unions on the issues failed to come out with way forward prompting the workers to opt for a total warning strike.

The unions had on Thursday, last week, declared the warning strike for  Monday and Tuesday following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum earlier issued to the federal government through the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.

The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN); the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

In a joint statement by the unions and signed by Ocheme Aba (General Secretary of NUATE); Frances Akinjole (ATSSSAN); Abdulrazaq Saidu (ANAP) and Unoh Ofonime (NAAPE), they said,  “The ultimatum has since expired and nothing tangible has been yielded from our efforts and that of the Ministry of Aviation.”

There are, however, indications that some airlines may be caught unawares by the flight disruption as some of the officials claim that they were unaware while the unions claimed that they had notified all the airlines.

To make the warning strike effective, the Unions issued an internal notice to their members which states that “You all can see that the die is cast. Our backs are to the wall, and we can no longer move back. We have to now charge forward. But we must do so in unison.

“We expect nothing less than total shutdown of all airports in Nigeria. No outward operations of any kind. Though planes are allowed to land, such planes must be denied all offloading services. No take off at all.

“The State Council Chairperson and his/her EXCO are in charge of activities at every airport, working under guidance of National Officers where available.”

General Secretary of ANAP, Comrade Rasaq Saidu stressed that there is no going back on the strike, adding no form of intervention from any quarters can stop the unions as they have exhausted all avenues of dialogue.