The aviation unions’ promise to ground flight operations and other business activities across the country’s airports has led to many passengers getting stranded at the airports.
As early as 6 am, the unions had mobilised themselves to the airports to prevent any flight from taking off or any worker having access to their duty posts for fear of being mishandled by the unions.
Many of the passengers were stranded as their flights were cancelled by the airlines.
The indefinite strike has started taking its toll on domestic airlines as they have suspended or cancelled their flights pending a change of mind.
The unions, who had circulated a memo, attributed their call for the strike to their decision to give solidarity to the parent bodies, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, who have called for a strike following the government’s refusal to meet the minimum wage they requested.
In view of the prevailing consequences, many of the affected airlines have sent messages to their passengers, telling them their flight operations have been suspended or cancelled until the minimum wage issue is resolved.
In a message sent to its passengers caught up in the melee, Ibom Airline apologised to its passengers, saying that it would not be able to operate its flights because of the strike.
The message sent to the passengers by the airline’s management declared: “Ibom Air regrets to inform our esteemed passengers that, due to the ongoing nationwide labour strike, we are unable to dispatch any of our scheduled flights to your various destinations.
“The safety and well-being of our passengers and staff remain our highest priority. Consequently, our flight operations have been suspended until further notice. We regret the inconvenience we know this situation has caused and sincerely apologise.
Please be assured that we are fully committed to resuming normal operations once the strike is called off.
“For the latest updates on flight status and further information, please visit our website, monitor our social media channels, or contact our customer service team. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this period.”
At the local wing of the Lagos airport, for example, both the entry and exit gates have been locked, leaving passengers who arrived as early as 6 a.m. stranded outside the terminal.
Equally, the unions blocked the entrance leading to the private terminal, otherwise known as MMA2, to prevent any access to the terminal building.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
