The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has declared its full support for the ongoing strike by aviation workers, demanding the immediate remittance of the statutory five per cent ticket charges and insisting that workers’ right to unionise must be respected.

TUC President-General, Comrade Festus Osifo, stated this in Abuja while addressing journalists on pressing economic and labour issues affecting Nigerian workers and households.

Osifo said the aviation workers’ strike, involving unions affiliated with the TUC, was triggered by unresolved grievances, including alleged attempts by some airlines to prevent workers from joining trade unions and the failure to remit the statutory five per cent ticket charge.

According to him, the TUC had intervened with relevant authorities and engaged the aviation unions in an effort to resolve the dispute, but warned that asking workers to suspend the strike without addressing the root causes could only pave the way for another industrial crisis.

He said workers have a fundamental right to organise and belong to trade unions, stressing that employers should not interfere with that right.

Osifo also disclosed that about N25 billion in five per cent ticket charges allegedly due to workers had not been remitted by airlines.

He warned that the TUC would continue to pursue the recovery and remittance of the funds.

The labour centre also expressed concern that improvements in some macroeconomic indicators had yet to translate into significant relief for Nigerian workers, traders and households.

Osifo said the relative stability of the naira and moderation in inflation had not sufficiently reduced the cost of living, with many Nigerians still struggling with high prices of essential goods and services.

The TUC urged the Federal Government to sustain food imports until domestic production improves and security conditions allow farmers to return fully to their farms.

On insecurity, the union renewed its call for the implementation of state police, arguing that persistent insecurity was disrupting economic activities and agricultural production across the country.

Osifo also called for greater deployment of modern technology and equipment to strengthen security operations.

On the country’s refineries, the TUC advocated a private-sector-led restructuring model, proposing that the Federal Government retain a maximum 49 per cent equity while competent private investors hold a controlling 51 per cent stake.

According to him, the arrangement would reduce political interference and introduce greater commercial discipline into refinery management.

The TUC also commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for recent arrests of suspected terrorists and bandits, urging authorities to ensure that those arrested are properly prosecuted.

While welcoming the Federal Government’s decision to increase military salaries by between 50 and 80 per cent, the labour centre called for similar improvements in the remuneration of workers across the wider public sector.