Lagos Airport was to today shutdown as the access roads to the international and domestic wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos State were on Monday blocked by aviation workers protesting the Federal Government’s failure to address their concerns.
The country’s aviation industry is facing problems, including poor facilities, jet fuel shortages that often ground domestic flights and a lack of foreign currency that has seen international carriers failing to repatriate their ticket sales. Some of the issues raised include those of the national minimum wage, consequential adjustment, and working conditions.
.The situation has caused serious gridlock around the Airport Road in Ikeja, with the entrance to the Murtala Muhammed Airport Two terminal hugely affected.
As at the time of this report, it was not certain if the situation is the same in all other airports across the country.
The gridlock led to a lot of anxiety and panic among several travellers who are desperate to fly out of Lagos through the airport efforts to catch their flights.
A coalition of aviation workers unions had announced a two day strike because of what they described as the government’s failure to address their concerns.
Some of the issues raised include those of the national minimum wage, consequential adjustment, and working conditions.
.Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) chapter of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) advised travellers and stakeholders to make contingency plans in order to avoid missing their flights and appointments.
FAAN’s statement was in response to the two-day strike the aviation unions, which it said could disrupt scheduled flight operations.
According to the authority, NAIA would be open for operations as usual. It, however, warned that passengers may experience “disruptions in flights operations as a result of the planned strike action”.
The aviation authority also said it regrets any inconvenience that may be faced by travellers.
The country’s aviation industry is facing problems, including poor facilities, jet fuel shortages that often ground domestic flights and a lack of foreign currency that has seen international carriers failing to repatriate their ticket sales.
Unions representing pilots, engineers, control tower operators and other airport workers said in a notice dated Friday that they would boycott work on Monday and Tuesday citing outstanding arrears and a decision by the federal government to demolish the Lagos offices of some aviation agencies to pave way for airport expansion.
“All aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all services in the sector on April 17 and 18 as warning strike,” the unions said.
“Should the warning strike fail to achieve the desired results, an indefinite strike shall ensue. All workers should comply and all state councils and branch executive members shall enforce this directive without compromise.”
The strike notice was signed by the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees.