By Nathaniel Irobi
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and await the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), who is actively working to resolve the dispute.
The appeal comes as the labour dispute escalated on Tuesday morning, with aviation unions shutting down Air Peace operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded as terminals were placed under lock and key, preventing flights from taking off.
The NCAA’s statement was issued in direct response to the escalating tensions between aviation unions and airline operators over the non-remittance of the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and allegations of anti-union practices.
The Authority stated that it “is aware of the ongoing industrial action by aviation unions and its impact on passengers and other stakeholders,” and appealed to the unions “to sheathe their swords and exercise restraint pending the return of the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), who has been actively working towards resolving the issues.”
The unions, led by 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), had issued a picketing notice on August 4, warning they were prepared to strike “at any time without further notice.”
On Tuesday morning, the unions, backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), followed through on their threat, accusing Air Peace of blocking workers from freely joining trade unions, with employees allegedly too intimidated to express interest for fear of discrimination, and failing to remit the 5% TSC collected from passengers, which is meant to fund aviation agencies and implement collective bargaining agreements.
The unions described Tuesday’s action as a “gesture of restraint” after giving the airline several weeks to address their grievances.
The NCAA further revealed that “the matter would have been addressed at the meeting convened by the Honourable Minister last week, but the meeting could not hold as the airline operators failed to honour the invitation.”
The Authority, however, assured the travelling public that “flight safety remains uncompromised” and that it “continues to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.”
The NCAA appealed “to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation” and expressed confidence “that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable.”
Confirming the incident, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu, acknowledged the union action and promised to provide further details.
As of the time of filing this report, Air Peace had not issued any public statement regarding the shutdown or the allegations levelled against it. The NCAA “regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers and appreciates their patience and understanding.”
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