Passengers were left stranded on Tuesday morning as aviation labour unions disrupted Air Peace operations in Lagos and Abuja over a number of unresolved grievances involving the airline.
Newsonspot reports that 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) began picketing the airline in the early hours of Tuesday, with the backing of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The action disrupted flight operations at the affected airports, leaving passengers unable to board some of their scheduled flights.
The unions had on August 4 issued a notice of picketing, warning that they could commence industrial action at any time without further notice if their concerns were not addressed.
Explaining Tuesday’s action, the unions said they had exercised considerable restraint and allowed Air Peace several weeks to resolve the issues in dispute.
Among their major grievances is an allegation that the airline has prevented some of its workers from freely joining trade unions.
According to the aviation unions, repeated attempts to secure recognition of workers’ rights to freedom of association had not produced the desired outcome.
The unions also accused Air Peace of failing to remit ticket sales charges owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), saying the matter had remained unresolved despite previous engagements.
They said the decision to commence picketing followed the failure of dialogue and other efforts to reach a satisfactory resolution.
The labour groups maintained that their action was intended to compel Air Peace to respect workers’ rights, meet its financial obligations to the aviation regulator and address the outstanding grievances.
The disruption is expected to affect flight schedules and passenger movement at the Lagos and Abuja airports for as long as the picketing continues.
