Nigeria: Unions picket Air Peace, stranding passengers over alleged union busting and unpaid charges

Aviation unions in Nigeria have grounded operations of Air Peace, leaving passengers stranded in Abuja and Lagos. The National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, supported by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, commenced picketing the airline early Tuesday.

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Making unfettered unionisation of staff in their organisation impossible after several efforts by the aviation unions. Their workers dare not even express the intention to belong to unions of their choice.

The unions accuse Air Peace of obstructing their members' efforts to unionize and of failing to remit Ticket Sales Charges (TSCs) owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This action follows previous warnings issued by the unions regarding airlines that have allegedly refused to pay the mandatory 5% TSC.

The core of the dispute centers on the alleged non-remittance of the 5% TSC, a charge collected from passengers intended to fund aviation agencies. Labor unions claim that some domestic airlines, including Air Peace, have withheld these collected funds, hindering the operational capacity of agencies like the NCAA. This non-remittance has reportedly stalled the implementation of collective bargaining agreements negotiated for workers within these agencies.

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Non-remittance of the already collected, but withheld 5% ticket sales charge, which is the operational fund of the aviation agencies, thereby rendering our members’ negotiated collective bargaining agreements at the aviation agencies nugatory so far. This continues to breed disgruntled air transport workers; the implication of which is an accident in the waiting.

In a statement, the unions described the picketing as a measure of restraint, noting they had given the affected airlines several weeks to resolve the grievances. They are demanding clear directives to staff confirming their freedom to join unions without fear of victimization and immediate remittance of the withheld operational funds. The unions warn that the continued withholding of these funds could lead to accidents, implying a risk to air safety.

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We want unequivocal declarations through circulars and other direct means of communication to their staff that they are free to join unions of their choice without fear of victimisation. We want an immediate remittance of the seized operational