The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has urged President Bola Tinubu to reverse the registration of new unions in sectors where one is already in existence.
President of the union, Dr Hassan Makolo, who was re-elected for another four years tenure at the just-concluded 8th quadrennial delegates conference of the union in Abuja, specifically said the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment registered Non-Teaching Staff Union of Polytechnics (NOTSUP) to weaken its influence in the polytechnics.
Makolo pointed out that the registration of NOTSUP by the Buhari administration to unionise workers in the Polytechnics, where NASU was already organising the workers, was in bad faith and contravened Section 3(2) of the Trade Unions Act, Cap T14, LFN 2004 (as amended), which provides that “no trade union shall be registered to represent workers or employers in a place where there already exists a trade union.”
He declared that the registration and other attempts to weaken NASU would not stand the test of time while calling on President Bola Tinubu to revisit the so-called registration and nullify the action.
“NASU, along with other unions in the tertiary education sector, has been at the forefront of campaigns and advocacy for improved funding of tertiary education in the country. The Government of former President Muhammadu Buhari was uncomfortable with the situation. His administration saw the unions as being overbearing and therefore decided to weaken them. One of the actions the Government took was the balkanization of Unions in the sector. In the case of NASU, the Government registered another Union known as the Non-Teaching Staff Union of Polytechnics (NOTSUP) to operate alongside NASU in Polytechnics,” he stated.
While NASU restates its membership as an active affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its willingness to continue to fulfill its moral and financial obligations to Congress as a responsible affiliate to enable her to fulfill the objectives for which it was formed, it expects that NLC, in turn, will always accord NASU her rights and privileges as an affiliate including standing and talking on issues affecting her and her members.
Therefore, it, again, condemned the brutalisation, arbitrary arrest and detention of the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero by agents of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and the immediate past Imo State Commissioner of Police, saying the behaviour of the agents and officials of the two government functionaries is a clear violation of Ajaero’s human and trade union rights.
“It is encouraging to hear that some of the culprits have been arrested and will be made to face prosecution. We hope that this will be the first and the last of its kind in Nigeria,” NASU said.
The NASU President added: “In line with our principled stand on issues of affiliation, we will continue to sustain our affiliation with PSI if it continues the path that is consistent with the trade union democratic tenet of freedom of speech, on the principle of “let the minority have their say and the majority their way.” Allowing affiliates to exercise democratic rights and practices that PSI itself practices in the global arena.”
NASU maintained that although disagreement between employers and employees will continually happen, it recognised the power and influence of management and the need for both parties to work together for their mutual preservation and relevance.
“Moreover, the power of management as the representative of the employer in the workplace is enormous. Employees counter these enormous powers through union membership. Therefore, conflicts between Management and employees/unions are inevitable.
Management of some of the institutions we unionise have stood out in the management of these conflicts through their management style, and friendliness with the Union thereby contributing to industrial peace and harmony in their institutions. Today, we appreciate such management and on behalf of our members in such institutions,” it said.
