Passengers were left stranded at airports in Lagos and Abuja on Tuesday as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) disrupted flight operations in protest over unmet demands from domestic airlines.
The industrial action, which grounded several flight schedules, is linked to the unions’ demands concerning workers’ unionisation and the remittance of statutory charges to the aviation regulator.
Reacting to the disruption, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) appealed to the unions to sheathe their swords and exercise restraint pending “the return” of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who has been working towards resolving the issues.
In a statement signed by the Director General of Civil Aviation at the NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, the authority said the issues could have been addressed at a meeting convened by the minister last week, but the meeting could not hold because the airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
The NCAA assured the travelling public that flight safety remained uncompromised and that the authority continued to discharge its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.
“We appeal to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation. We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable,” the statement added.
United Nigeria Airlines announced a temporary suspension of its flight operations, citing the industrial action embarked upon by labour unions against domestic airlines.
Credit: channelstv.com
