Key highlights
- Nigerian aviation unions continued their warning strike at Lagos Murtala Muhammed Airport, shutting down all aviation agencies.
- Access roads to the airport were traffic-free on day two of the strike, with heavy security presence seen at the airport.
- The protesting unions moved to the international airport in Lagos, and they will give the government a seven-day ultimatum to address their demands, threatening a nationwide shutdown if their demands are not met.
The warning strike embarked upon by Nigerian aviation unions continued today as all the aviation agencies at the Lagos Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos remained shut.
However, unlike day one of the strike action when the unions blocked the access roads to the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), the access roads were traffic-free today as motorists drove in and out of the airport environment without issues.
Heavy security presence at the airport
When Nairametrics visited the airport, the presence of various security agencies was seen manning strategic positions within the airport, possibly to prevent the logjam witnessed by air travellers and other users of the airport on Monday.
Some of the offices visited by Nairametrics include the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Protests at international airport
This time around, the protesting unions and their members moved to the international airport in Lagos to continue their activities, which caused a bit of traffic delay at that aspect of the road.
Speaking on the strike, the General secretary of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, told the media that the unions would call off the warning strike today and hoped that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation would address their demands.
According to him, before the unions embarked on the two days warning strike, it had written a series of letters to the government to address the Condition of Service (CoS) for their members, while it also appealed to the government to desist from its plan of demolishing the aviation agencies at the Lagos Airport.
According to him, the unions would give the Federal Government and the National Assembly another seven days ultimatum to address their demands, threatening that failure to do this would lead to the total shutdown of the aviation industry nationwide.
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The protesting unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Seniors Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (NAPA), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
The unions had expressed disappointment with the Federal Government, especially the Ministry of Aviation and other affected five aviation agencies for their refusal to implement the CoS approved over seven years ago.
Other issues raised by the unions include; the non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for 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.