Anxiety as striking workers commence airport shutdown next week

Striking aviation workers, who disrupted operations in the country’s airports on Tuesday, have threatened to totally shut down the airspace next Wednesday if the government fails to grant their requests.

The workers, who had embarked on a two-day warning strike since Monday, were chanting solidarity songs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in the presence of heavy security personnel.

One of the unionists, Comrade Abdulrarak Saidu, expressed disappointment that nothing has been done to ensure that the conditions of service were implemented in the last eight years.

He also criticised the aviation minister for wanting to pull down offices of agencies and parastatals in Lagos State.

According to him, the minister wants to turn his policy into law and lord it over the industry.

He said, “For eight years, conditions of service were not implemented. Sirika usurps the functions of the governing boards. There is no check and balance. They wanted to coerce us to come to Abuja, but we did not go for the meeting. No conclusions, and no genuine meeting with the government.

“He wants to destroy buildings in the sector for a roadmap that was not approved for Lagos. Even the one approved in Abuja for the aerotropolis nothing has happened there and he wants to turn his policy into law.

“When you are going in the next month, you want to pull down headquarters and leave nothing. After seven days, we go to a total shutdown. We will try to cut Nigeria away from other countries.”

Exclusively speaking with The PUNCH in Abuja, the Secretary-General of NUATE, Ocheme Aba, disclosed that the union had given the government until Friday to respond to their demands, after which they would meet and agree on the next line of action. He noted that the union was prepared to go all the way to ensure that their demands were met, as they had exhausted all other options.

“As we stated in our notice of strike, if our demands are not met, then an indefinite strike will be inevitable.

“We tend to give the government till Friday, and then by next week, if we do not hear anything, we will meet and agree on the next line of action,” he disclosed.

The First Vice President of NUATE, who is also the union’s Women’s Leader, Lucy Ukpen, told our correspondent that the unions were considering a full shutdown of schools across the country as they continue to demand better working conditions.

According to her, the unions are assessing the situation and will take the necessary steps if the government fails to respond to their demands.

Ukpen said, “We are planning for a full shutdown. We are accessing the whole thing. The leadership will look at it carefully and see the response from the government and if need be that we would go for a full strike, we will activate it. Punch