Domestic cargo agents in Nigeria estimate that the country lost about N7 billion during the two-day nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The strike, which began on Monday and was suspended on Tuesday, resulted in the halting of airline operations across the country.
This information was disclosed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Domestic Airports Cargo Agents Association (DACAA), Mr. Ikpe Nkanang, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday.
Nkanang stated that with approximately 30 tonnes of cargo lifted across the country’s domestic airports daily, the volume of cargo left unprocessed during the two-day strike was significant, resulting in a loss of about N7 billion.
“For those two days, the airlines were not working, and once the airlines are not working, cargo cannot move, and it is a great loss to all of us.
“You needed to see the volume of cargo that was dumped over those two days; of course, you know we gathered cargoes during the weekend hoping that by Monday and Tuesday, we would be able to send them out.
“It was a colossal loss to us in the cargo world, it affected our income and, of course, the economy of the country.
“For those few hours of the strike, the country lost about N7 billion across all local airports,” he said.
Backstory
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on a nationwide strike on Monday, June 3rd, 2024, due to the tripartite committee’s failure to agree on a new minimum wage for workers.
Additionally, the unions protested against the hike in electricity tariffs, arguing that it placed an undue burden on workers and consumers across the country.
When the strike commenced on Monday, workers closed down ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal, state, and local governments, as well as public facilities such as airports and seaports, in compliance with the strike.
In the aviation sector, domestic commercial airlines were unable to provide any services, including passenger and cargo operations, as airports were shut down from Monday until Tuesday.
This nationwide halt in aviation operations affected travellers within Nigeria, those needing connecting flights for international travel, and businessmen, entrepreneurs, and individuals sending cargo via domestic airlines.
The nationwide shutdown on Monday, including a nationwide electricity blackout due to the strike, prompted the federal government to meet with NLC and TUC representatives on Monday evening.
This meeting led to the unions suspending the strike for five days on Tuesday. The suspension was based on the resolution from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to establish a new minimum wage exceeding N60,000.