Passengers travelling to various destinations from the Murtala Mohammed Airport Terminal Two, (MMA2) on Tuesday morning were barred by aviation unions from entering the terminal to catch their flights.
Passengers, totally unaware of what was going on were seen in their numbers, crowded around the gates, hoping the gates would be open so they can catch thier flights.
The actions of the unions is as a result of their grievances over the alleged treatment by Bi-courtney Aviation Services, BASL, the manager of MMA2 on their members.
According to the Unions, Bi-courtney terminated the employment of 34 of its members without recuse to due process.
At a press conference on Monday in Lagos, the leadership of the unions said, the 34 sacked staff who are predominately union and exco members were placed on a compulsory 10 day leave, after which the were issued termination letters.
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Frances Akinjole, Deputy Secretary General, Air Transport Services senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, said, this was not the first time the management of BASL had taken such step in laying off staff after series of intimidation.
According to him, since the signing of the staff Conditions of Service (CoS) for members on the 16th of June, 2021 after prolonged negotiation with Management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, their members have been having problems of threats, dismissals and intimidation.
“A situation occurred sometime in the year 2018 when some set of workers in Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) were sacked for expressing their constitutional right of becoming members of a trade union. Series of intimidation of union members continued in the company,”Akinjole said.
John Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table and chief executive of Centurion Securities said the unions have blocked the entrances to the terminal refusing passengers from getting access into the terminal to catch their flights operated by airlines and not by the terminal operator.
Ojikutu said it is high time the lawlessness of the unions are curtailed by the responsible authorities especially the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
According to him, the NCAA in particular has the absolute powers and authority on civil aviation security in the airports and if there are Civil Aviation Laws for disruptive passengers, there must be similar laws within the Airport Operational Areas for disruptive staff unions.
“With the trends in the activities of our homegrown terrorists, Boko Haram, bandits, unknown gunmen, etc, we must be wary of the infiltration of any of these as ‘copycats’ amongst the disruptive staff unions . We witnessed or heard how the EndSARs groups were infiltrated in Lagos two years ago just as the US Embassy has given us Adversary Warnings on possible attacks from our homegrown terrorists groups.
“My knowledge and experience in aviation security tells me always that civil aviation is always on the top lists of targets for attacks by the terrorists. What is happening around us now needs more vigilant attention than what is showing out now at the Lagos Airport MM2. Let us urgently call the disruptive unions to order. Let them carry their grievances to the offices of their employer and not to the passengers terminal building,” he said.
