Passengers were left stranded on Tuesday after aviation labour unions shut down Air Peace operations in Lagos and Abuja.
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), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, picketed the airline in the early hours.
The unions accused Air Peace of preventing workers from joining unions and failing to remit the five per cent ticket sales charge collected on behalf of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
In a statement, the unions said they had relaxed an earlier notice of picketing issued on August 4 and given a three-day warning to defaulting domestic airlines.
“Making unfettered unionisation of staff in their organisation impossible after several efforts by the aviation unions. Their workers dare not even express the intention to belong to unions of their choices,” the statement said.
They also demanded “an immediate remittance of the seized operational funds of the aviation agencies to allow for the implementation of the conditions of service of our members.”
The unions claimed some domestic carriers had made it impossible for staff to join freely, leaving workers too afraid to show interest for fear of discrimination.
Air Peace had not issued any public response by the time of filing this report.
