Nigerian air travel could shut as unions pledge to join strike

By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Nigeria's airports could shut
down on Monday as four key unions said they would join an
indefinite nationwide strike to protest an increase in power and
petrol prices.
A Thursday statement issued by four unions representing
pilots, engineers and other aviation professionals said they are
"in full support" of a strike called by the Nigerian Labour
Congress, which represents millions of workers across most
sectors of Africa's biggest economy. "All workers in the aviation sector are hereby directed to
withdraw their services at all aerodromes nationwide as from
00hrs of 28th September," the unions said in a statement seen by
Reuters.
The signatories included National Union of Air Transport
Employees, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and
Engineers, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association
of Nigeria and the Association of Nigeria Aviation
Professionals.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Aviation said negotiations
are happening at a high level; union leaders met yesterday with
the Labour, Petroleum and Power ministries at the presidential
villa, but reached no consensus.
Nigeria's government removed pump-price controls on petrol
earlier this month, and roughly doubled power tariffs in an aim
to shore up a budget battered by a fall in oil prices and an
economic contraction brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Petrol subsidies drained billions from government coffers,
while experts said artificially low tariffs were holding back
much-needed investment in the nation's dilapidated power sector.
International lenders such as the World Bank have pressed
Nigeria to make the reforms to qualify for budget support loans.
But the unions said the increases were poorly timed due to
the economic hardship created by the pandemic, with high
inflation and a recession looming after the economy contracted
in the second quarter.
Union leaders previously said a reversal of the price hikes
would avert the strike.