The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is set to brief President Bola Tinubu on the outcome of talks between aviation sector unions and the Airline Operators of Nigeria over the lingering dispute concerning the Ticket Sales Charge.
The Punch reported that Keyamo convened an emergency meeting with the stakeholders on Thursday, following the suspension of industrial action by the unions, which had disrupted flight operations at major airports across the country.
The meeting, held in Abuja and lasting several hours, produced five resolutions focused on airlines’ outstanding Ticket Sales Charge payments, workers’ rights to unionise and measures to prevent further disruptions within the aviation sector.
Although Keyamo was outside the country, he participated in the meeting virtually via Zoom and presided over the deliberations.
The minister subsequently directed the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mahmud Kambari, to prepare two separate communications.
One is to provide the President with a detailed account of the dispute, discussions and resolutions, while the other will communicate the outcome of the meeting to the public.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other aviation agencies are to obtain payment schedules from airlines with outstanding obligations.
The parties agreed that the outstanding payments would be spread over a reasonable period, taking into consideration the airlines’ operating expenses and prevailing economic conditions.
Directors of Finance and Accounts across the aviation agencies are also expected to meet individually with the affected airlines within one week to establish realistic repayment arrangements.
On the issue of unionisation, Keyamo reaffirmed workers’ right to independently decide whether to belong to a trade union.
The ministry consequently directed the NCAA to provide unions with direct access to workers across all airlines to distribute membership forms and allow employees to make their choices without interference from airline management.
The resolution stated,
“The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other Heads of Aviation Agencies are to obtain a schedule of payments from the airlines, spread over a reasonable timeframe, taking into cognizance the airlines’ cost of operation and current economic realities.
“That the Directors Finance and Accounts in all Aviation Agencies are to meet individual Airlines to agree on a realistic repayment plan within one week.”
On workers’ union rights, the statement said, “The Honourable Minister of Aviation recognizes the right of workers to decide not to belong or to belong to Unions; the Honourable Minister also recognizes the rights of the workers to decide for themselves, rather than through management.
“As a result, the NCAA should immediately ensure that the unions have direct access to the workers of ALL AIRLINES only to distribute their forms for the workers to directly indicate whether they intend to unionize or not. Any airline that prevents this direct interface will be sanctioned by the NCAA.”
The stakeholders also agreed to reconvene after one month to evaluate the implementation of the resolutions and review the situation.
The unions had commenced industrial action on Tuesday over several grievances, including allegations that some airlines had failed to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge to the NCAA and had interfered with workers’ attempts to unionise.
The action significantly affected Air Peace operations and left hundreds of passengers stranded at airports before the unions suspended the strike following interventions by the Federal Government and other stakeholders.
At Thursday’s meeting, Keyamo assured participants that the government remained committed to resolving the dispute while protecting the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the aviation industry.
The minister also reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to maintaining a “safe, efficient, peaceful and sustainable aviation industry.”
Meanwhile, it was gathered that an earlier meeting scheduled by the authority had failed to hold after members of the AON allegedly declined to attend.
The Managing Director of Aero Contractors reportedly said he would have attended if the invitation had been sent directly to him as an airline operator, noting that he might not necessarily share the position of the Airlines Operators of Nigeria.
He said, “Whenever the NCAA wants an airline to attend a meeting, they shouldn’t write to the AON; rather, they should write to the airline. If the meeting is that important, the DG should sign a letter requesting that each AOC holder attend. For instance, if I have a different view from the AON, I won’t attend such a meeting. It is very simple.”
Following the request, the minister agreed that future invitations should be sent directly to individual airlines rather than through the AON.
