Aviation: Arik Air Operations Shut Down

Nigerian aviation labour union yesterday 23rd March, 2017 shut down Arik Air operations. It was shut down over the failure of its new management to pay salary arrears, re-instate some sacked workers and correct other anti-labour activities.

The unions, had as early has 4am barricaded the headquarters of the airline thus preventing staff from having access to their offices as well as disrupting counter staff from performing their duties.

On the 6th Feburary,2107 Arik Air was taken over under a receivership deal by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)

The unions were angered that since AMCON took over Arik Air, the new management has cut down its flights to 30 per cent and has been able to pay only one month out of the two months salary the former management of the airline owed staff.

Aside the union, some industry analysts have been complaining that many of the airline’s 28 aircraft are now parked with only five still operating.

“The  day AMCON  took over the operations of the airline, it operated about 70 flights, but  it now operates about 18 flights a day under AMCON,” said a protesting union member.

Daily Sun learnt that the protesting unions had also bared oil marketers from supplying Jet A1 (aviation fuel) to the airline in a bid to render aircraft in the airline’s fleet non-functional.

Aside causing flight disruptions to passengers who were billed to travel with it to various destinations in and outside the country, the activities of the protesting unions also created human and vehicular traffic along the roads leading into and out of the airport.

Some passengers who had early morning flights to catch at the Lagos airports had to disembark from vehicles carrying them to walk down to the airport terminal.

But as the organised labour was protesting the poor working condition of workers of the airline as well as the decision of the new management of the airline to bar members from joining industry unions, some Arik Air staff were also engaged in a counter protest demanding that the unions halt their protests and allow them commence work.