Passengers were stranded at airports in Lagos and Abuja on Tuesday after aviation workers’ unions began picketing Air Peace over alleged violations of workers’ rights and outstanding financial obligations to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The industrial action, which began in the early hours of Tuesday, was led by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
The unions were supported by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The picketing disrupted Air Peace’s operations at the affected airports, leaving passengers unable to board scheduled flights as union members blocked or restricted access to the airline’s operations.
The unions had on August 4 issued a warning that they could commence picketing at any time if the airline failed to resolve the issues raised against it.
According to the labour groups, they had given Air Peace several weeks to address the disputes and had made repeated attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue before resorting to industrial action.
One of the major grievances concerns the airline’s alleged refusal to allow some employees to freely join trade unions.
The unions accused Air Peace of continuing to restrict workers’ right to freedom of association despite several engagements aimed at securing recognition of employees’ unionisation rights.
The labour groups also alleged that the airline had failed to remit certain ticket sales charges owed to the NCAA.
They said the financial obligation had remained unresolved despite previous discussions with the airline.
The unions maintained that the picketing became necessary after attempts to settle the disputes through dialogue failed.
They said the action was aimed at compelling Air Peace to respect its employees’ rights, fulfil its financial obligations to the aviation regulator and resolve other outstanding matters.
With the industrial action ongoing, passengers at the Lagos and Abuja airports are expected to face disruptions to Air Peace flight schedules until the dispute is resolved.
