Ken Okeke
Scores of air passengers were unable to catch their flights especially from Lagos on Monday, following barricade by Airport Union workers who began a two-day strike.
The Union is demanding better conditions of service from their employers.
The strike caused flight cancellations and delays as employees from across seven Unions in the aviation industry blocked access to the country’s largest airports, in Lagos and the capital, Abuja.
Workers claim they have poor working conditions and airlines are struggling with rising costs and fuel shortages. It is the second union-organized strike this year and comes after failed attempts by regulators and policymakers to appease workers.
Monday’s protest follows Government’s refusal to release recently reviewed aviation working conditions and adjust pay to match Nigeria’s new minimum wage of $65 per month, according to a strike notice issued over the weekend.
Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The delays showed no sign of abating. In Abuja, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria advised passengers to make contingency plans in order to avoid missing flights and appointments.
The Unions said the strike could be prolonged if Authorities don’t act on their demands to improve conditions and shelve plans to demolish some of their offices in Lagos.
“Should the warning strike fail to achieve the desired results, an indefinite strike shall ensue,” the Unions said in the notice signed by each of them and issued over the weekend.
