Unions picket Air Peace over N17bn TSC/CSC Debt, NCAA cracks down on taxiway blockade

• Ministry intervenes; airlines deny owing aviation agencies
• ASRT wants parties to return to negotiation

Flight operations across Nigeria’s major aviation hubs were plunged into severe disruption on Tuesday as joint aviation unions carried out a targeted picketing of Air Peace at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The coordinated industrial action, led by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), with backing from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), grounded dozens of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded.

The dispute stems from two primary grievances: allegations that domestic carriers, led by Air Peace, owe approximately N17 billion in accumulated 5% Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC/CSC) remittances to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and persistent complaints regarding restrictions on workers’ freedom to unionise.

The unions accuse Air Peace and other domestic operators of illegally withholding funds collected from passengers on behalf of the NCAA and sister aviation agencies.

According to union leadership, the non-remittance of the 5% statutory charge has severely deprived regulatory and service agencies of critical operational funding, thereby stalling the implementation of negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and staff conditions of service.

“The non-remittance of the already collected 5% ticket sales charge, the operational lifeline of aviation agencies, renders our members’ negotiated agreements nugatory. Disgruntled workers in critical safety positions create an operational hazard no one can afford,” the joint union committee stated.

Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) strongly disputed the union’s stance, emphasising that debt recovery is strictly the statutory responsibility of the NCAA, not trade unions, noting that domestic airlines had already established formal payment schedules with the regulator to liquidate liabilities that built up during extreme macroeconomic pressure and soaring jet fuel costs.

Air Peace workers also issued a statement dissociating themselves from the strike, asserting that they had not requested external union representation.

The industrial action took a dangerous turn at Lagos airport when vehicles and buses were allegedly driven onto taxiway corridors and perimeter gates to impede aircraft movement and passenger access.

The breach of restricted airside areas drew swift condemnation from regulatory and security authorities.

The NCAA expressed alarm over the deployment of vehicles to block taxiways, describing the act as an unacceptable compromise of airfield safety and a violation of civil aviation regulations.

In response, the NCAA, in coordination with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) and law enforcement agencies, ordered the immediate clearance and planned arrest of the vehicles and drivers involved in blocking the taxiway.

Regulatory officials warned that while peaceful picketing is recognised under labour laws, extending disruptions to active taxiways and runways constitutes a grave threat to national aviation security.

Confirming the development, NCAA spokesman Mr Michael Achimugu condemned the incident in strong terms.

“We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution,” Achimugu said. “How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We’ll investigate, and the necessary portions of the Act will be invoked.”

To prevent a prolonged systemic collapse of the nation’s air transport sector, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, led by Minister Festus Keyamo, has scheduled an emergency reconciliation meeting with the leadership of the aviation unions and chief executives of domestic airlines on Thursday.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, appealed to the labour leaders to suspend all further picketing and embrace dialogue pending the conclusion of the ministry’s peace talks

To prevent further breakdown of law and order, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has summoned a reconciliatory meeting for Thursday with the affected airlines, specifically Air Peace and the leadership of the unions.

The industrial action, which began in the early hours of Tuesday, paralysed Air Peace’s operations and crippled activities across the domestic terminals in Lagos and Abuja.

Speaking at the Lagos airport, ATSSSAN National President John Ogbe claimed that Air Peace owes over N17 billion in unremitted 5% TSC/CSC funds.

Ogbe stressed that the statutory funds are critical for regulatory oversight, equipment maintenance, and civil aviation staff welfare.

“The unions’ demands centre on workers’ right to unionise and the remittance of the five per cent TSC,” Ogbe stated, adding that non-remittance has stalled the implementation of workers’ conditions of service.

He noted, however, that the unions remain open to negotiations following initial interventions by the Ministry of Aviation and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Echoing these demands, NUATE National President Ben Nnabue revealed that the standoff dates back to 2018, with numerous mediation attempts falling through. NAAPE National President, Capt. Bunmi Gindeh, also maintained that recovering the 5% TSC is essential for sustaining aviation agency operations.

Addressing the dispute, Air Peace Ground Operations Manager Adeyemi Ayodeji stated that the airline’s employees made an independent, voluntary decision not to join trade unions. He argued that staff should retain the freedom to choose, expressing frustration that Air Peace was unfairly singled out for industrial action.

Regarding the TSC, Ayodeji asserted that the airline is actively making payments and that passenger figure reconciliations with regulatory agencies remain an ongoing process.

Meanwhile, industry think-tank Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has sharply criticised the labour unions for taking law enforcement into their own hands.

In a statement signed by ASRTI President, Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju (Rtd), the group called for an immediate return to the negotiating table, describing the picketing as coercive and illegal.

“The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative is deeply appalled by the disruptive and selective strike organised by labour unions today in utter disregard of the ongoing intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development,” Onitiju said.

Wole Shadare