Operation of Kenya Airways has been totally grounded as of this early morning of today at the Murtala International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The union, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) claimed that it took the decision following the refusal of the airline’s management in the country to adhere to an earlier agreement reached.
At the airport this morning, hundreds of passengers who had hoped to fly out of the country through the airport to different destinations were disappointed as the counters of the airline was sealed by the union.
At the airport, none of the counter staff and even the country manager of Kenya Airways could be sighted by the passengers.
Some of the passengers of the airline were seen sitting on the floor of the terminal while others were roaming around the terminal and complaining bitterly about their sordid experience.
Speaking on the picketing of the airline, Mr. Lucky Izevbokun, the General Secretary of Air Transport Employees alleged that the airline had not increased the salaries of its Nigerian employees in the past 10 years of its unionization.
He declared that the union would continue to ground the operations of the airline until its demands were met, adding that its Nigerian employees were treated like slaves.
He explained that the unions had given the management of the airline enough time to implement the agreement reached with it since 2016, but lamented that the management had continued to renege on its agreement.
He said: “We have given them some ample time to fulfill their promises, but it seems the management is not serious about the implementation. The misbehavior of Kenya Airways led to the grounding of their operations today.”
“We are asking for improved workers condition of our members with the airline, but they have been dribbling us since the agreement was reached in 2016. We will continue to ground their operations in the country until they meet our demands. The staff are not given leave allowance while their salaries have been stagnant for about a decade now.”
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