The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has backed the ongoing strike by aviation workers, demanding that airlines remit about N25 billion in outstanding five per cent ticket charges and respect workers’ right to unionise.
TUC President-General, Festus Osifo, said the strike followed unresolved grievances, including alleged attempts by some airlines to prevent workers from joining trade unions and failure to remit statutory charges due to workers.
Osifo said the union had intervened to resolve the dispute but warned that suspending the strike without addressing the underlying issues could trigger another industrial action.
He insisted that workers had a constitutional right to unionise and called on airlines to remit the outstanding funds.
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“The five per cent ticket charge is supposed to be remitted to the workers, but as of today, that money is not remitted. The value today is about N25 billion,” Osifo said.
The TUC also expressed concern that improvements in exchange rates and inflation had yet to translate into significant relief for workers and households.
The labour centre urged the Federal Government to sustain food imports until domestic production improves, while renewing its call for state police to tackle insecurity and support agricultural activities.
On the oil sector, the TUC proposed private-sector control of Nigeria’s refineries, with government retaining a maximum 49 per cent stake to reduce political interference and improve efficiency.
It also commended recent security operations against terrorists and bandits and called for the prosecution of suspects arrested.
