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By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
The staff of NAHCO Aviance have called off the industrial action they embarked on in the early hours of Monday, January 23 which lasted about 14 hours and grounded airport operations.
The industrial action caused chaos at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos as early as 4 am on Monday, leaving passengers stranded.
The strike was declared at the instance of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) who said that they have been in negotiations with the management of NAHCO for the review of current salaries since June 2022 without any headway.
A memo issued by the unions read: “As the ultimatum issued by our unions has gone unheeded and the management continues to play on our intelligence through scheduling of purposeless meetings, we have come to the conclusion that the management is clearly decided against hearkening to our cry for fairness and equity, despite overwhelming evidence in support of our demand.
“In view of the above, NUATE and ATSSSAN have no choice but to take definite steps to press home our demands. In the above regard, all staff of NAHCO are hereby directed to withdraw all services with effect from Monday, January 23. This action shall be indefinite until otherwise directed by the secretariats of the unions.”
Following the directive given by the aviation unions, NAHCO staff who handle check-ins, boarding and ramp services for several international and local airlines including Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Air and Air Peace, among others, downed their tools on Monday morning.
But the issue was resolved 14 hours later after a meeting between NAHCO and the unions.
In a communique signed by the management of the company, unions’ representatives and regulatory agencies, it was resolved that the unions call off the strike and all staff resume work immediately.
Other issues agreed upon are that NAHCO management withdraws the suit it instituted at the National Industrial Court (NIC) against the unions; negotiations on staff welfare to resume on Wednesday, January 25th and be concluded within the week; and that no staff be victimised because of participation in the strike.
Speaking on the resolution at the end of the meeting held at NAHCO Aviance House on Monday, the Group Executive Director, Dr Sola Obabori, expressed appreciation to its clients who showed great understanding with NAHCO during the period of the strike action and to the passengers who were inconvenienced by the strike action.
He also expressed NAHCO’s deep appreciation to these esteemed clients, the large community of airline passengers who depend on NAHCO and the stakeholders who have intervened in calming down the situation.
