…As airline claims N2b loss

Air Peace has said that aviation unions would be responsible for third party compensation of passengers and other parties affected by the Tuesday picketing of its operations in Lagos and Abuja airports.

 

The airline also claimed that it lost about N2 billion to the total disruption of its operations by the industry labour unions led by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).

 

The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide, stated these yesterday at the airline’s head office in Lagos.

 

Olajide said that the two allegations cited by the unions – indebtedness by airlines over the controversial five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) payable to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the refusal of some airlines, including Air Peace, to allow unionisation of their workforce, were inaccurate.

 

She wondered why Air Peace was singled out for the action when the TSC issue was an industry-wide matter.

 

According to her, the Director-General of the NCAA had publicly stated that airlines were complying with the authority’s directives on the remittance of the TSC payments.

 

She also expressed that the staff of the airline had told the labour unions at numerous occasions that they were not willing to belong to any labour unions, noting that membership of the union was voluntary and not mandatory.

 

She said: “This therefore raises a fundamental question: if the issue is industry-wide, why was Air Peace singled out for violent and disruptive picketing?

 

“On unionsation, over 98 per cent of Nigerian airlines do not have unions. The staff of Air Peace have made it abundantly clear that they do not wish to form any union within Air Peace. This is within their constitutional rights. Air Peace did not stop them. They chose that path. So why this violence meted out on Air Peace?

 

Olajide purported that union members involved in the protest were seen urging passengers not to fly Air Peace, but to patronise other airlines which, were also indebted to the NCAA and had no unions.

 

Besides, she further accused the unions of violating a subsisting Federal High Court judgment of April 26, 2024, restraining them from coercing its employees into union membership, while calling on the Federal Government to investigate the alleged violent and unlawful disruption of its operations.

 

According to her, the judgment declared unlawful and unconstitutional any attempt by the unions to coerce Air Peace employees into union membership against their will.

 

She said the court also granted an order of perpetual injunction restraining the unions from harassing Air Peace employees at their workplaces or elsewhere, or causing or instigating any breach of the peace likely to result in harm to the airline’s staff, employers or property.

 

Olajide added that some of the airline’s workers were physically assaulted during the protest, including a female employee who, she said, sustained injuries in the process.

 

Also, she raised concerns over security at the airport, questioning how protesters were able to gain access to areas where they could disrupt flight operations.

 

According to her, airports are sensitive national assets and any act capable of compromising airport security should be treated seriously.

 

She said the incident had also generated concerns among Air Peace’s international partners and aircraft lessors, potentially affecting confidence in Nigeria’s aviation business environment.

 

The airline further maintained that passengers had rights that should be protected, particularly the right to travel without unlawful interference.

 

She declared that the airline had consistently supported the development of Nigeria’s aviation sector and had stood with Nigerians during difficult periods, making the disruption of its operations particularly unfortunate.