BREAKING NEWS: ANGRY AVIATION WORKERS MAY SHUTDOWN PORT HARCOURT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
By David Ejiohuo
Airport Correspondent
Travellers and business organizations relying on the use of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, may be stranded if angry workers who feel short changed by the operations of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) carry out their threat to shutdown the facility.
Already, a show down reflecting the level of hostility which now exists is brewing between members of three aviation staff unions and the management of FAAN, following disagreements over the concessioning of car park and toll gate operations.
According to our correspondent at the International Airport, aviation workers are threatening to shutdown operations if FAAN fails to address their concerns.
The leaderships of the the three unions – the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE ) – have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to FAAN.
FAAN is reportedly accused by workers of turning deaf ears to a number of demands urging its management to urgently address what they described as the resolutions of the unions.
Rising from a tripathite meeting held last week by staff unions at the Airport, the unions in a resolution signed by Comrade Akagha Emmanuel of ANAP, Comrade Animasaun Razaq of ATSSSAN and Camrade Ohweofe Felix of NUATE copied to the Regional General Manager, Mrs Linda Ezike and made available to the press, the unions said no to FAAN’s concession arrangement.
The management of FAAN, we have gathered, allegedly wants to concession the toll gate and car park to a consulting firm known as Atlantic Biscol. But the unions insist that the deal can only go ahead if serious issues pertaining to staff welfare are addressed.
They also want revenue implications, the transparency of the agreement and what might lead to the redundancy of workers addressed.
The unions declared, “We wish to warn and state clearly that the failure to take satisfactory steps within the stipulated period, we may be compelled to take all lawful industrial actions available to us which may lead to the disruption of Airport operations on or before the date.”
According to the resolution, the unions called for the immediate suspension of all actions regarding the concession, pending full engagement with the workers.
” We also need adequate protection of staff jobs , welfare and wish to align concession considerations with the newly approved tarrif regime and verified revenue benchmark”, they added.
