KEY POINTS

• Aviation unions picketed Air Peace on Tuesday, disrupting over half its flights and stranding thousands.
• NUATE and ATSSSAN acted over an alleged unremitted 5 percent Ticket Sales Charge and union rights.
• Experts called the action unlawful and in contempt of court, and Air Peace put losses above N2 billion.

The picketing of Air Peace by aviation unions on Tuesday has drawn sharp criticism from stakeholders, many of whom warn that the action raised serious safety and security concerns at Nigeria’s airports.

From early morning until about noon, members of NUATE and ATSSSAN, backed by the NLC and TUC, disrupted the airline’s operations over the alleged non-remittance of a 5 percent Ticket Sales Charge to the NCAA and the right of workers to unionise.

How the protest unfolded

According to the unions, the action followed a three-day notice they issued on August 7 to the Airline Operators of Nigeria, warning that they would picket carriers that failed to remit the charge or allow staff to join unions. Consequently, union members converged on the domestic terminals in Lagos and Abuja, singled out Air Peace, blocked its counters and stopped its flights until the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, stepped in.

Moreover, the disruption hit more than half of the airline’s operations that day, stranded thousands of passengers and cost Air Peace more than N2 billion in revenue. Still, the episode echoed earlier shutdowns, since unions had grounded Aero Contractors in 2013 and Arik Air in 2017 and 2020 over similar labour disputes.

Experts fault the tactics

Furthermore, industry figures questioned the legality of the picket. Former Murtala Muhammed Airport commandant John Ojikutu called the action unlawful and urged the NCAA to bar acts of unlawful interference, arguing that the unions should protest at the airline’s office rather than the airport. He also described aviation as a national security asset and faulted the DSS for standing by.

However, former NCAA acting head Benedict Adeyileka said the unions acted in contempt of court, since a Federal High Court judgment on Air Peace and the unions still stood. He added that the unions are not a collecting agency and should use legal channels, while Air Peace COO Oluwatoyin Olajide warned that the unions should bear any compensation passengers seek.