By Nathaniel Irobi
Travellers were left in disarray early Tuesday morning as labour unions grounded the operations of Air Peace at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) jointly shut down the airline’s activities, barring access to terminals and preventing flights from taking off or landing.
The industrial action, backed by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), left hundreds of passengers stranded, with many seen waiting helplessly at departure halls or scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements.
The unions described the shutdown as a “gesture of restraint,” insisting they had given the airline adequate notice of their grievances. On August 4, the unions had issued a formal notice of picketing, declaring they were prepared to strike “at any time without further notice.”
Addressing journalists at the picket sites, union leaders accused Air Peace of blocking workers from freely joining trade unions, despite repeated engagements with the airline’s management.
They alleged that employees were too intimidated to even express interest in union membership for fear of discrimination and victimisation.
“We have given them many weeks of notice. Our workers dare not even express the intention to belong to unions of their choices. This is unacceptable,” a union representative stated.
Beyond the issue of unionisation, the unions also accused the airline of withholding the 5% ticket sales charge (TSC) meant to fund the operations of aviation agencies. They argued that the non-remittance of these funds had rendered collective bargaining agreements negotiated on behalf of their members at the aviation agencies “nugatory.”
“This continues to breed disgruntled air transport workers; the implication of which is an accident in the waiting!” the unions warned in a previous statement.
At the weekend, the unions had issued a three-day notice of impending strike to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), demanding an immediate remittance of the seized operational funds and an unequivocal declaration to workers that they are free to join unions without fear of reprisal.
As of the time of filing this report, Air Peace had not issued any public statement regarding the shutdown or the allegations levelled against the airline.
Passengers, visibly frustrated, called on both parties to resolve the dispute swiftly, pleading with the unions to consider the plight of travellers who had already booked and paid for flights.
The situation remains tense, with union leaders vowing to maintain the picket until their demands are met.
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