Nigerian aviation workers have ended their strike and left the entry gates of the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) Terminal in Lagos State so that aircraft operations can resume, following the recall of workers illegally fired by B-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL).
Many passengers who intended to board early-morning flights out of the airport’s private terminal were stranded on Tuesday because one of the aviation unions blocked the entrances leading to the terminal in protest of the terminal management’s termination of 37 workers.
The union, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), reportedly took positions at the critical entrances leading to the terminal building as early as 6 a.m. to prevent the airlines from operating their early morning flights.
As a result of the strike, dozens of passengers who had arrived at the airport to catch early morning flights to their destinations were stranded.
The private terminal is closed because the terminal’s operators, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, fired 37 workers, including union executives.
The union had labeled the dismissal of its members as witch-hunting and wilful intimidation, claiming that rather than implementing the terms of service agreed upon with the union in 2021, the BASL administration had resorted to dismissing its members at the time of its formation.
The ATSSSAN Branch Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Women Leader were among those affected by the disengagement, according to the union, who demanded “the payment of terminal benefits to staff members who exited the company’s service lawfully in accordance with the signed Conditions of Service.”
Meanwhile, hours after the protest, ATSSSAN General Secretary Francis Akinjolie announced that BASL had recalled the workers who had gone on strike.
“The strike that was launched today against the Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited has been called off as a result of the company’s acceptance to recall the laid-off members of our union and an undertaking to pay their salaries,” Akinjolie said late Tuesday in a statement.
The agreement was reached at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and airport security agencies, according to him.