By John Ikani
As the sun rose over Lagos, Nigeria, a different kind of dawn broke at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
Instead of the usual hustle and bustle of travelers, a different kind of movement took over the airport.
The employees of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) decided to take a stand and put their feet down, quite literally.
They began a strike action over salary increment, bringing the airport to a standstill.
The striking staff, responsible for providing seamless check-in, boarding and ramp services for some of the world’s renowned airlines such as Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Turkish Air, have for long, felt unappreciated and undervalued, and decided to take action to demand better compensation.
Many travelers arriving at the airport were greeted with the unexpected development, with one traveler, Adebayo Oluwaseun, lamenting that: “I thought my flight was delayed because of a mechanical issue, but it turns out the airport is suffering a ‘halt in air traffic’ as ‘flight NAHCO 08’ cleared itself for chaos.”
Heritage Times [HT] gathered that the striking members had met with their management on Sunday January 22, but the talks had not led to any tangible results, hence they proceeded with the strike action this morning.
The management tried to negotiate but the striking employees stood firm, refusing to back down.
As the strike progresses, travelers are advised to check with their airlines for updates on their flights and to expect delays.
This is a developing story. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
