A fresh industrial dispute is brewing in Nigeria’s aviation sector as aviation workers have issued a seven-day ultimatum to airline operators and other organisations owing outstanding five per cent Ticket Sales Charges (TSC), warning that failure to settle the debts will trigger nationwide picketing.
The ultimatum was jointly issued by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) after an earlier 14-day notice, served on July 8, expired on July 23 without compliance from the affected operators.
The five per cent Ticket Sales Charge is a statutory levy collected on every airline ticket sold in Nigeria. The funds are expected to be remitted to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and shared among other aviation agencies to support their operations and meet key financial obligations.
Although airline operators deduct the levy from ticket sales, the unions said many have failed to remit the funds. Until recently, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had been collecting the charges on behalf of the aviation authorities before announcing it would discontinue the arrangement.
In a statement signed by ATSSSAN General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, and NUATE Deputy General Secretary, Odinaka Igbokwe, the unions condemned what they described as the “willful non-compliance” of airlines and other TSC defaulters.
According to the statement, the failure to remit the statutory charges has deprived aviation agencies of vital funds required to maintain safe and efficient operations while also affecting the welfare and conditions of service of workers.
“Our earlier 14-day ultimatum has expired, and regrettably, willful non-compliance has been recorded,” the unions said.
“The aviation agencies remain starved of the required funds to keep our skies safe, while the conditions of service of our members in the various agencies continue to be jeopardised because of the non-remittance of the Ticket Sales Charge.”
The unions warned that the continued withholding of the deductions poses a serious threat to aviation safety and security, as agencies are being denied the financial resources needed to carry out their statutory responsibilities.
Describing the situation as a growing risk to the country’s air transport system, they stressed that declining staff morale caused by the funding shortfall could undermine the safety of Nigeria’s airspace.
The workers said they could no longer remain passive and have therefore issued a final seven-day notice to all defaulting airline operators and other indebted organisations.
“We can no longer helplessly fold our hands and allow the safety of our airspace to remain compromised. We hereby issue a seven-day notice to every TSC defaulter to remit the total debt owed to the agencies. Failure to do so will result in our unions taking concrete actions at their various premises,” the statement added.
