Dozens of Arik Air travellers left stranded at Port Harcourt airport following union strike
By Emmanuel Awosika
A strike action by aviation workers left Arik Air travellers stranded at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State earlier today.
The striking workers had declared an indefinite strike under the auspices of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of a Nigeria.
Among other things, the workers were protesting non-payment of salaries by Arik Air and the placement of 90% of the workforce on “compulsory leave”.
The strike action crippled Arik Air’s operations, with many flights scheduled to leave for Lagos unable to depart.
This left many passengers stranded, with some buying tickets from othe airlines in order to travel, and others leaving in anger.
The passengers criticized the management of Arik Air for for charging customers for tickets when it had advanced knowledge of the strike action.
Arik Air had reportedly reached out to Minister for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over the threat of the aviation unions to down their tools on September 14, 2020.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Captain Roy Ilegbodu had appealed to the Aviation Minister via a letter titled, “Re: Unions in Arik Air threaten to down tools.”
The Chairman of ATSSSAN, Innocent Atasie, told journalists on Monday that the workers had been forced to embark on a strike after efforts to amicably resolve the issue were fruitless.
He said the strike would go on until the management oil Arik Air met their demands which include: payment of outstanding salaries and remittance of pension, tax and statutory deductions to appropriate authorities, and review of the salary structure for workers.
