The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action against Air Peace, saying the dispute should be resolved through dialogue as the action continues to disrupt flight operations and inconvenience passengers.
The regulator made the appeal in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Director-General, Chris Najomo, amid the picketing of Air Peace operations at the Lagos and Abuja airports by aviation unions.
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The unions accused the airline of making it difficult for workers to freely join trade unions and allegedly withholding the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) already collected from passengers.
The industrial action has affected Air Peace flights. In a statement, the airline said the entrances to its departure terminals at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, including the Alpha and Zulu terminals, and Terminal 2 in Lagos, as well as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport terminal in Abuja, had been barricaded.
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According to Air Peace, the blockade restricted access to the terminals and prevented scheduled flights from departing Lagos and Abuja.
The airline apologised to affected passengers, saying those scheduled to travel later in the day were being contacted and provided with updates as the situation developed.
Air Peace said it was closely monitoring the situation and would provide further updates.
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Why unions are protesting
The industrial action involves the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) backing the action.
The unions said their grievances centred on two issues: what they described as restrictions on workers’ freedom to unionise and the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent TSC.
They said some airline workers were afraid to express an interest in joining trade unions because of concerns about discrimination or victimisation.
The unions also alleged that airlines had collected the five per cent charge from passengers but failed to remit the funds to the NCAA.
They said the alleged withholding of the charge had affected the implementation of negotiated collective bargaining agreements and the conditions of service of workers in aviation agencies.
The unions had earlier issued notices threatening industrial action against domestic airlines they accused of failing to address the issues.
They said they had given affected airlines several weeks to resolve the grievances before proceeding with the latest action.
The unions are demanding assurances from affected airlines that workers are free to join unions of their choice without fear of victimisation.
They are also demanding the immediate remittance of the five per cent TSC they allege has already been collected but withheld.
The charge is a statutory source of funding shared among aviation agencies and has been at the centre of a separate dispute over how aviation revenues should be distributed.
The unions have argued that failure to remit the funds affects the ability of aviation agencies to implement agreed conditions of service and could create dissatisfaction among workers.
NCAA intervenes
Mr Najomo said the NCAA was aware of the industrial action and its impact on passengers and other aviation stakeholders.
He appealed to the unions to exercise restraint pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who, according to the NCAA, had been actively working towards resolving the dispute.
The NCAA said a meeting convened by Mr Keyamo last week could have addressed the matter, but it could not hold because the airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
The regulator urged all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation, expressing confidence that the dispute would be resolved and normal flight operations restored as soon as practicable.
The NCAA also assured passengers that flight safety remained uncompromised and that it continued to carry out its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.
The authority expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers and appreciated their patience and understanding.
The development leaves passengers at the centre of a dispute that has moved beyond negotiations between airlines, workers and aviation agencies, with airport access and scheduled flights now directly affected.
Air Peace said the disruption was caused by circumstances beyond its control and apologised to passengers affected by the industrial action.
The airline said it was contacting passengers scheduled to travel later in the day and would continue to provide updates as the situation evolved.
READ ALSO: NCAA cautions against further cut in aviation funding
The dispute also comes against the backdrop of a broader disagreement within Nigeria’s aviation sector over the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
Airline operators have previously complained about the financial burden associated with the charge, while aviation agencies and labour groups have stressed the importance of the revenue to the functioning of the sector.
The current industrial action has brought the disagreement into sharper focus, combining concerns about labour rights with a dispute over the remittance of aviation revenue.
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