Aviation Unions Picket Air Peace Operations, Attack Workers over Refusal to Join Associations

Over 70 daily flights operated by Nigeria's leading carrier, Air Peace, were canceled on Tuesday as aviation unions protested and clashed with airline workers. The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) picketed the operations at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The unions claimed they were protesting against a 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) owed to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the airlines' refusal to allow workers to join the unions. However, the NCAA had earlier confirmed that it had agreed to make payment arrangements with the airlines for the debt incurred during the US-Iran war, when jet fuel prices surged from N900 to N3,500 per litre.

The unions also asserted that the second reason for their protest was the airlines' refusal to permit their workers to join the unions. Yet, they only targeted Air Peace operations, as workers from other domestic airlines, including Aero Contractors and Arik Air, remained unrepresented by any of the protesting unions. United Nigeria Airlines suspended its operations in response to the disruption of Air Peace flights.

Air Peace issued a statement expressing regret for the inconvenience caused and apologizing to passengers and the general public. The National Union of Air Transport Employees and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria stated that their actions were not legally binding and that trade union membership is entirely voluntary in Nigeria, per labor laws.