The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has threatened a second confrontation with Turkish Airlines management in Nigeria over employee welfare issues.
Layoffs and Union Response
This development follows an intervention by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) two weeks prior. The union has vowed to use every means possible to reinstate its members, who it claims were unjustly dismissed.
NUATE and its parent body, the Nigeria Labour Congress, shut down Turkish Airlines operations last Tuesday over allegations that the airline dismissed seven workers and planned to dismiss more because they were union members. This action left over 300 passengers stranded at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
On Thursday, the NCAA intervened to mediate peace, allowing Turkish Airlines to fly its Nigerian passengers who had been stranded at the airport for more than 24 hours. Breaking its silence, the airline accused the dismissed staff of committing a $600,000 ticket fraud in 2023, which led to significant financial losses.
Union’s Counterclaim
In a response on Monday, the union described the airline’s allegations as “blatant and poorly concocted lies.” In a statement signed by NUATE’s Acting General Secretary, it was stated that “The claim that the airline lost $600,000 is entirely fabricated.”
The union explained that in April 2023, Turkish Airlines’ headquarters issued a sales restriction circular allowing only two premium class ticket sales in response to Nigeria’s foreign exchange restrictions, which made it difficult for foreign airlines to repatriate funds. However, the airline advertised a much lower fare on its website, leading passengers to contact the Nigerian offices through the global call center.
At the time, the sales manager instructed sales personnel to use PNRs obtained by customers online to process the tickets. The sales staff followed this directive, and the airline’s accountants received all due payments from the sold tickets. All sales reports were submitted daily to the sales manager and signed off by the accounting department. Thus, no money belonging to Turkish Airlines was lost, and no personnel benefited financially.
Union and Turkish Airlines Relationship
The union asserts that the real reason for the dismissal of the seven out of eleven employees was Turkish Airlines’ determination to dismantle the union. Furthermore, the union accused Turkish Airlines’ management in Nigeria of mismanagement.
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