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…Seaports shut
By Chinelo Obogo, Steve Agbota and Chukwuma Umeorah
Passengers were left stranded at Abuja, Lagos and other airports across the country in the early hours of Monday morning following the industrial action declared by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.
The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, (ANAP), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) had on Sunday directed their members to join the strike after the meeting the leadership of the NLC and NUC had with the National Assembly to reach a resolution ended in a deadlock.
The aviation unions whose membership cut across agencies like the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), complied with the directive in the early hours of Monday morning as flight operations at airports across the country came to a halt.
A domestic airline official told Daily Sun that he arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, as early as 6.a.m on Monday to get the first flight but couldn’t proceed because of the strike.
“I got to the airport at 6.a.m, checked in, got to the departure lounge and saw that it was scanty with very few people. Air Peace was making its first boarding call. They were midway into the call when they were stopped and the departure gate was locked. At about 7.00a.m, Air Peace cancelled their flights and the labour unions came and began shutting off the air conditioners in the departure lounge and people were forced to leave.
“Around 7.15a.m, I left the departure lounge and came outside the terminal building and saw a huge crowd. All the check-in counters of the airlines were shut down, no one was selling tickets and no one was checking in. When I made enquires, I was told that the unions told all the airline staff to leave the terminal building,” the official said.
The situation was the same at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos and MM2. As early as 6.30a.m, the aviation unions had locked the gates leading to the airport terminals leaving passengers outside. However the Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Ado Sanusi, said airlines didn’t suspended operations but that the activities of the unions was what caused flights delays and cancellations.
In Niger, the NLC shut down the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna and other government establishments in the state capital. The state chairman of the TUC, Ibrahim Gana led a joint monitoring committee comprising of other state NLC executives to ensure strict compliance in the state. The situation was the same at Ibadan Airport, Alakia and the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano, where the gates were locked as many passengers were seen stranded outside.
At the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto, the airport manager, Dnajuma Ahmed, told Daily Sun that hajj operations are ongoing. “Everything is going on fine here. As I speak, hajj operations are ongoing and nothing has been disrupted. You know that we usually don’t get morning flights, most of our flights are in the afternoon, so it is our hope that by then, the issues would have been resolved,” he said.
Despite being Africa’s fourth-largest economy, Nigeria’s minimum wage is not among the continent’s top 10, lagging behind countries like Seychelles, where workers receive a minimum wage of $465.4 monthly.
The industrial action also afffected the maritime sector as the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) shut down activites at the seaports.
When Daily Sun went to Apapa Port Complex and Tin Can, many workers, clearing agents and truck drivers were denied entry into the port. The gates were all locked leading to disruptions in some offices in the Apapa area.
A clearing agent, Popoola Ibrahim, said importers will incur demurrage, rents and other revenue loses over their cargoes at different terminals.
He said there are already cargoes cleared at the ports but no truck has exited or accessed the port since morning to evacuate these cargoes from various terminals.
However, he advised that already cleared cargoes should be allowed to exit the port because importers will accrue more demurrage and shipping charges, which is also detrimental to the already fragile economy.
Meanwhile, the president, NPA branch of MWUN, Ifeanyi Mazeli, said that the ports were grounded in compliance with the NLC directive and would remain so until the strike is called off. President of Dockworkers branch of MWUN, Ibrahim Ohize, said vessels were not allowed to berth nor trucks permitted to go in or leave the port.
In Lagos, economic activities were grounded as banks, schools, hospitals and businesses were compelled to comply with the directive of the NLC and the TUC. Striking workers gathered at the entrance of the State Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, as early as 6:30 am, effectively locking the access gates and preventing vehicular and pedestrian entry.
The Governor’s office, the Deputy Governor’s office, the State House of Assembly, and numerous Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, banks and other businesses operating within the premises were also affected.
The NLC chairman, Lagos State, Funmi Sessi, expressed dissatisfaction at the government’s response to comply with the demands of labour and alleviate the sufferings of workers.
According to her, “The government is insensitive to the economic hardshipsfaced by Nigerian workers. The NLC will extend the strike enforcement to other public offices such as courts and electricity branches. We are not backing down.”
