Air Peace picketing: Unions suspend action, meet Keyamo Thursday

By Dickson Omobola

Unions in the air transport sector have suspended their picketing on Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, following the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.

General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSAN, Mr Frances Akinjole, confirmed this to Vanguard.
Akinjole said: “It has been suspended. The Minister intervened, so we are having a meeting with him in Abuja on Thursday.”

Labour unions had disrupted operations of Air Peace in the early hours of today, leaving several passengers stranded at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.

The disruption followed a three-day strike notice issued by the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSAN, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, on August 7 over the airline and others’ alleged failure to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, TSC.

The unions stopped Air Peace’s operations as part of efforts to compel the airline to remit outstanding TSC payments and allow its staff unionise.

The action also affected the operations of United Nigeria Airlines and Enugu Air which had to temporarily suspend operations to protect the safety of its passengers and crew.

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