CAA Seeks Peace as Aviation Unions Threaten Industrial Action

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has urged aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and embrace dialog, adding that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, is working to resolve the issues.

In a statement on Tuesday by its Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo, the NCAA said it was aware of the action by the unions and its impact on passengers and other stakeholders.

Earlier reports had it that the crux of the dispute leading to the industrial action was the failure by some airlines to remit the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC).

By law, airlines collect the statutory levy on every passenger ticket and remit it to the NCAA, which then distributes the revenue among regulatory and safety agencies including NCAA, NAMA and NiMet. ebeb

Union leaders under the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employes (NUATE) say several indigenous carriers have accrued billions of naira in unremitted TSC deductions which they say has robbed aviation agencies of operational liquidity.

The unions, after an expired 14-day notice period, activated a final seven-day ultimatum on July 28, warning of ground disruptions and service halts if the debts were not cleared.

This newspaper also reported that NUATE and ATSSSAN grounded the operations of Air Peace in Abuja and Lagos in the early hours of Tuesday, over allegations of preventing workers from unionizing and non-remittance of ticket sales charges owed to the NCAA.

The unions, led by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said they were forced to picket the airline after a warning they issued on August 4, when the unions announced a notice of picketing and said they were ready to strike “at any time without further notice.”

The NCAA in a statement said the matter would have been discussed at a meeting convened by the Aviation minister last week but the meeting could not hold as the airline operators did not turn up for the meeting.

The NCAA appealed to the unions “to put their swords away and exercise restraint until the return” of the minister, who they said has been working actively to resolve the issues.

The NCAA told travelers that flight safety has not been compromised and that the authority continues to exercise its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.

“We call on all parties to engage in dialog and work together. “We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and that normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable,” the statement continues.

The NCAA also expressed regret for the inconvenience to passengers and appreciation for their patience and understanding.

Meanwhile, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had kicked against any disruption of service, noting that airlines have no direct transactional relationship with the unions on TSC and that the action is based on misinformation.

AON added that local carriers are under severe financial pressure, with soaring aviation fuel costs and various levies.