Domestic flights across the country
were grounded for over six hours on Thursday as a result of the industrial
action embarked upon by Air Traffic Controllers in Nigeria.
Thousands of passengers were left
stranded at various airports in Nigeria during the period that the strike
lasted.
Sources at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, told our correspondent that the strike was due to
a lingering crisis between the controllers and their management.
A senior official at the NAIA, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The Air Traffic Controllers are
agitating for the payment of certain amount of money which was meant to be paid
by their management since last year. But this money has not been paid despite
several pleas and threats. So they want to use this opportunity to let everyone
know and if possible knock out the management.
“It is clear that the strike is to
force their management to pay them and to also make the government aware of
what is happening in their organisation. Since morning, flights have been
disrupted all over Nigeria, except international flights.
“The strike is not against the
Federal Government but is as a result of an internal issue between the
controllers and their management. They want to use this opportunity to push
their management to meet their demands.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the
umbrella association of the controllers, the Air Transport Services Senior
Staff Association of Nigeria, were not successful.
The President, ATSSSAN, Mr. Benjamin
Okewu, did not pick calls to his phone lines.
He had yet to respond to a text
message sent to him by our correspondent up till the time of filing this
report.
Meanwhile, the aviation authorities
at the airports had yet to react to the development as of the time of filing
this report.
Photo : stranded passengers
Air traffic controllers’ strike grounds domestic flights
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Rating:
No comments: