Unions in Nigeria’s aviation sector have suspended their Air Peace picketing following intervention by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo. The development came after labour unions disrupted operations of Air Peace at major airports on Tuesday. General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSAN, Frances Akinjole, confirmed the suspension to Vanguard.
“It has been suspended. The Minister intervened, so we are having a meeting with him in Abuja on Thursday,” Akinjole said.
The unions had commenced the industrial action at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The disruption left several passengers stranded as workers prevented Air Peace from conducting its scheduled operations. The Air Peace picketing followed a three-day strike notice issued by ATSSAN and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, on August 7.
The unions had accused the airline and other affected carriers of failing to remit the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, TSC. They are also demanding that workers at the airlines be allowed to unionise. The labour bodies subsequently moved to enforce their demands by disrupting operations at the affected airports.
Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, became the major target of Tuesday’s action. However, the intervention by Keyamo has temporarily eased the confrontation between the unions and the airline. A meeting involving the minister and representatives of the unions is expected to take place in Abuja on Thursday.
The outcome of that meeting could determine whether the industrial dispute will be permanently resolved or whether further labour action will follow. The unions’ position is that airlines must fulfil their statutory obligations regarding the Ticket Sales Charge while respecting workers’ rights to organise under recognised labour unions.
The dispute also affected United Nigeria Airlines and Enugu Air. Both airlines temporarily suspended operations amid the industrial action, citing the need to protect passengers and crew. The development consequently created disruptions for air travellers using some of the country’s busiest airports. With the Air Peace picketing now suspended, attention has shifted to Thursday’s meeting between the unions and the aviation minister.
The engagement is expected to address the outstanding TSC payments, unionisation concerns and other issues at the centre of the dispute. For passengers and airlines, the immediate priority will be restoring normal operations while ensuring that the underlying labour and regulatory disagreements are resolved through dialogue.
