From shutting down the National Grid on Monday, the industrial action embarked upon by Nigeria’s Organised Labour also caused flight disruptions across Nigerian airports, forcing local airlines to suspend flight operations.
Nigerian Pilot reports that the Organized Labour which commenced a nationwide strike on Monday, is pushing for a minimum wage increase from the current N30, 000 to N494,000, an amount the President Bola Tinubu-led government says it lacks capacity to pay.
Air passengers were stranded across the country as the indefinite strike took effect after Labour and government failed to reach an agreement during a marathon meeting on Sunday.
Indigenous airline, Ibom Air announced that it was suspending flights until further notice due to the strike, while United Nigeria, said airports across the country have been shut down and that striking workers had permitted none of its flights to operate.
Earlier, aviation unions comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, ANAP, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE who are affiliated to either the NLC or TUC had announced that they were joining the strike declared by Organised Labour.
Labour had on Friday declared an indefinite strike after talks for a new minimum wage meant to cushion the impact of reforms collapsed. They said the strike would last until a new minimum wage was in place.
On its part, the government says it cannot pay beyond N60, 000 as minimum wage, citing the country’s state of economy. Intervention of National Assembly leadership on Sunday night to persuade Labour to disembark on the planned strike failed.
Unions have also demanded a reversal of an electricity tariff hike effected last month for better-off consumers who use the most power, as the government tries to wean the economy off subsidies.
Both electricity and aviation unions said in a statement on Monday that they had directed their workers to withdraw their services in compliance with the indefinite strike.
This strike is the fourth embarked upon by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, two of the country’s biggest unions, since President Tinubu took over office.
Members of Organized Labour drove away operators at the country’s power control rooms and shut down at least six substations, which eventually shut the National Grid at 02:19 am (0119 GMT), the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN stated.
The removal of subsidy on petrol when Tinubu came to power has fuelled inflation and put pressure on the already high cost-of-living, putting the government on the pressure to embark on reforms that will mitigate economic challenges faced by families and businesses across the West African nation.
