Aviation Workers Give Airlines Seven-Day Ultimatum Over Unpaid Ticket Sales Charges
Aviation workers have issued a seven-day ultimatum to airline operators and other organisations owing statutory Ticket Sales Charges (TSC), warning that failure to settle the outstanding debts will result in nationwide picketing of defaulting companies.
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) following the expiration of an earlier 14-day notice served on July 8, which lapsed on July 23 without compliance.
The unions accused the affected operators of failing to remit the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge collected on every airline ticket sold in Nigeria. The levy is meant to be paid to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for distribution among aviation agencies to support their operations and meet financial obligations.
According to the unions, the continued non-remittance of the charges has deprived aviation agencies of critical funding needed to maintain safe and efficient air transport services while also affecting the welfare and working conditions of employees.
In a statement signed by ATSSSAN General Secretary, Frances Akinjole, and NUATE Deputy General Secretary, Odinaka Igbokwe, the unions described the continued default as “willful non-compliance.”
“Our earlier 14-day ultimatum has expired, and regrettably, willful non-compliance has been recorded. 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 statement said.
The unions warned that withholding the statutory deductions poses a serious risk to the country’s aviation sector by weakening the financial capacity of regulatory agencies and reducing staff morale.
“This unnecessary demotivation factor to the air transport worker is a security and safety risk,” they said, stressing that inadequate funding could ultimately compromise the safety and security of Nigeria’s airspace.
The workers said they could no longer remain passive while the situation persisted and 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.
The development raises concerns over a possible industrial dispute in Nigeria’s aviation sector if the outstanding payments are not settled within the stipulated period.
