Turkish Airlines Abandons 300 Passengers In Lagos, Suspends Operations
Chigozie Amadi
There are indications that Turkish Airlines, the Middle East carrier, may have suspended flight services to Nigeria following the picketing of its operations on Tuesday by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
This is as the airline was on Wednesday accused of abandoning over 300 passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, following the Tuesday’s picketing.
NLC had alleged that the airline unjustifiably sacked about seven out of the 11 Nigerian staff since 2020 in flagrant disregard to the extant Nigerian laws.
The NLC had appealed to the airline to reinstate the affected staff members that were allegedly forced to abandon duty or resign under duress, including those victimised for their union membership in 2020.
It was learnt that negotiations with NLC were ongoing until both parties failed to reach an agreement.
In addition, Daily Independent gathered that the airline on Tuesday may have informed its passengers from Nigeria of its temporary suspension of flight services in and out of the country, pending when the crisis it has with NLC would be resolved.
Also, a source close to MMIA on Wednesday, told this newspaper that the airline abandoned over 300 passengers from Nigeria because of the issue.
It was learnt that the airline, which flew into Nigeria on Tuesday afternoon, returned to Istanbul same day empty without communicating with the affected passengers.
The source said: “Turkish Airlines, without even offering the abandoned passengers a bottle of water, left the passengers on the floor of the Lagos airport.
“I’m told there are families who flew in from places like Benin with kids, who have been left stranded. This is totally unacceptable service and response to an emergency situation that has nothing to do with the passengers, but everything to do with Turkish.”
NLC had last Tuesday mobilised its affiliate members nationwide to picket the operations of the airline in Lagos.
The NLC in a notice of picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos signed by Chris Ufot, its Acting General Secretary, stated that all affiliate unions in aviation were particularly charged to mobilise heavily for the picketing action without fail.
NLC had also placed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a stand-by in case it would be necessary to escalate the matter to Abuja airport.
According to the group, Turkish Airlines management had continued its determined bid to exterminate the union, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) from the airline.
It noted that in this latest onslaught, the management had dismissed seven out of eleven members of the union without benefits under trumped-up charges and using a disciplinary committee constituted outside the dictate of the prevailing condition of service as negotiated with NUATE.
More provoking, according to the NLC, was the plan to get rid of the remaining four members to pave the way for the engagement of new staff who would be compelled not to join the union or in the alternative procure a General Sales Agent (GSA).
NLC had said, “By the above action of unjustified dismissal of their workers, the management of Turkish Airlines has put to waste 10 to 14 years of service. And fate has befallen these hapless workers purely on account of exercising their constitutional right to belong to a trade union. Congress will not tolerate this situation.
“Therefore, the Lagos State Council of NLC is hereby directed to commence picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos with effect from May 21, 2024, until all staff of Turkish Airlines who have been sacked, dismissed, forced to abandon duty, or forced to resign under duress, including those victimised for their union membership in 2020, have been fully restored to their jobs without any losses of any kind.”
All efforts to get the reaction of Turkish Airlines in Nigeria proved abortive, as our correspondent could not get across to any of its management staff in the country.
