Aviation workers threaten nationwide protest over unpaid ticket sales charges

Nigeria's aviation workers are threatening a nationwide protest if airline operators and other organizations fail to remit outstanding statutory Ticket Sales Charges (TSC). The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) issued a fresh seven-day ultimatum, following the expiration of a previous 14-day notice on July 23 without compliance.

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Our earlier 14-day ultimatum has expired, and regrettably, willful non-compliance has been recorded.

The five percent TSC is a mandatory levy on every airline ticket sold in Nigeria. The collected funds are intended for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other aviation agencies to support regulatory oversight, safety, and security responsibilities. However, airline operators had previously announced they would stop collecting and remitting the TSC, citing unsustainability, which raised concerns about the funding of these crucial agencies.

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The aviation agencies remain starved of the required funds to keep our skies safe, while the conditions of service of our members in the various agencies continue to be jeopardised because of the non-remittance of the Ticket Sales Charge.

In a joint statement, the unions accused defaulting operators of willful non-compliance despite repeated warnings. They emphasized that the continued failure to remit these charges is depriving aviation agencies of essential funds, jeopardizing their ability to carry out their duties effectively. This situation, they argue, weakens the financial capacity of the agencies and negatively impacts the welfare of aviation workers.

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This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk.

The unions stressed that the prolonged withholding of these funds poses a significant risk to aviation safety and security. "This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk," the statement warned. Declaring they could no longer stand by idly, the unions issued the final ultimatum, stating, "We can no longer helplessly fold our hands and allow the safety of our airspace to remain compromised."

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We can no longer helplessly fold our hands and allow the safety of our airspace to remain compromised.