Foreign, Local Flights Disrupted, Passengers Stranded as NAHCO Staff Embark on Strike
Some of the local and foreign airlines the company handles their check-in and ramp services cannot board their flight or attend to in-bound flights and other passenger and cargo facilitation process.
Hundreds of passengers of local and foreign airlines across airports in Nigeria have been left stranded, following a strike action embarked on by the staff of Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) on Monday.
JournalNG gathered that the workers had down tools due to the failure of NAHCO management to attend to their Condition of Service (CoS), which has been on the table for over four years.
Some of the local and foreign airlines the company handles their check-in and ramp services cannot board their flight or attend to in-bound flights and other passenger and cargo facilitation process.
NAHCO handles check-in, boarding and ramp services for international airlines including Air France/KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Air.
Our correspondent learnt that Qatar Airways passenger filled aircraft had to return to Doha after landing in Lagos due to the absence of ramp services; same for Royal Air Maroc, while Virgin Atlantic, which is on ground, is offloading with their staff. Only passengers disembarked and the cargo is still on the aircraft.
Domestic airlines also handled by NAHCO like Air Peace, Dana and others have had to delay and reschedule their flights due to the strike.
According to reports, NAHCO’s Management had been informed about the strike in a notice sent by the Secretaries General of the two unions in the companies, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
The notice, signed by NUATE and ATSSSAN Secretaries General, Comrades Ocheme Aba and Frances Akinjole read: “As all ultimatum issued by our unions have gone unheeded and the Management continues to play on our intelligence through rescheduling of purposeless meetings, we have come to the conclusion that the management is clearly decided against harkening to our cries of fairness and equity despite overwhelming evidence in support of our demand”.
It added that the stike action shall be indefinite until otherwise directed by the secretaries of the unions.
