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•Airline says it’ll suffer N400m loss over unions rift with Imo govt
By Chinelo Obogo
Air Peace has accused the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of deliberately disrupting its operations over its face off with the Imo State government.
The unions disrupted all flights to Owerri across airports in the country on Wednesday morning, leaving many passengers stranded.
The unions say they embarked on the exercise over the disruptions to the Workers Day rally by thugs alleged to be agents of the Imo State government.
The action of the unions tagged, “No Flight To Owerri” was reached Monday night at the end of an emergency joint central working committee meeting of the NLC and TUC.
The letter directed members in the aviation sector to paralyse flights to Owerri, beginning from mid-night of Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
But the management of Air Peace said all their scheduled flights including Owerri were affected and that while other airlines heading to Owerri were allowed to leave, Air Peace counters were not allowed to process other passengers to different destinations.
According to the airline, the the unions had written to it yesterday, saying that no flight should be operating into Owerri on Wednesday because Governor Hope Uzodimma, had allegedly disrupted their May Day activities.
The airline said: ‘NLC and TUC officials stormed the Lagos airport and took over our counters, disrupting all our operations because of an alleged misunderstanding they had with Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State. While they were doing this, another airline was allowed to operate into and out of Owerri.
“They took over our counters in Owerri, Abuja and Lagos, disrupting over 110 flights of Air Peace. This particular illegal action of NLC and TUC will lead to over 400 million naira loss to the airline. It will equally lead to massive disruptions and cancellations of our flights across the country today, and that will snowball into the coming days, too.
“Air Peace has no affiliation whatsoever with the Imo State government or Governor Uzodimma. Our duty and commitment are to the Nigerian flying public that have paid us. We have a contract with them to deliver. This morning, they carried out a selective attacks on Air Peace, took over our counters and disrupted our operations.
“This is not the first time the NLC or unions will be attacking Air Peace for issues that have no bearing with the airline. There was a time they attacked Air Peace because they were protesting minimum wage with the Federal Government. While the minimum wage was N18,000 naira, the minimum wage at Air Peace was even 50,000 naira.
“We do not understand why Air Peace and aviation should be selected for this kind of treatment. If they have a grouse against Governor Uzodimma, that should be taken to Imo State. Why are they not stopping road transport workers who are going to Imo State?
“Aviation borders on national security and we have been made a laughing stock in the world. Who is going to pay Air Peace over 400 million naira lost today and in the coming days? We use this oppourtunity to alert the Nigerian flying public that all our flights will be disrupted today and in the coming days because cancellations will follow. Any flight we fail to operate today due to this illegal occupation of our operations will lead to cancellations in most sunset airports. Who is going to take responsibility for this? We feel highly unprotected.”
