Thousands of air passengers were on Thursday stranded at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos as the air traffic controllers at the airport downed tools for six hours over welfare-related issued.
At the Nmandi Azikiwe International Airport, chaos reigned as thousands of travellers were also stranded. The situation was further compounded by a jet which skidded off the runway, airport sources told Daily Trust.
The association had severally in the past embarked on warning and full strikes to press home its demand for improved welfare package.
The Nigerian Air Force personnel reportedly control as air traffic controllers while the six hour strike lasted.
The strike affected all morning flights at the domestic terminals, but did not affect international flight operations. NATCA threatened to embark on a full industrial action from Monday, April 20, if the association’s issues were not resolved by NAMA before then.
Mrs Jumoke Adetona, Ag. General Manager, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) confirmed to our correspondent the warning strike by NATCA that lasted till about 11am.
She said: There are so many contending issues. It borders on allowances and other things. The management is putting contingency arrangements on ground.
“The issues have been ongoing and we have had several discussions with the association. We will still engage them and resolve the issues, hopefully.”
Our correspondent reports that at the end of the 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of NATCA in Kano, a communique which captured some workplace issues and resolutions reached was issued.
One of the contentious issues was the disparity in the rating allowances paid to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO) compared to the Engineers, which had not been addressed since 2011 despite pleas and assurances to correct the anomaly by government and previous NAMA managements.