TUC insists labour centres’ position on politics not strange

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) says Nigerian workers and the two labour centres — Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and TUC, have a right to be politically partisan to safeguard their collective interests.

The TUC President, Mr Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Mr Nuhu Toro, made the assertion in a statement on Tuesday.

The union disagreed with the views expressed by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Director of Media and Publicity for the dissolved All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, on the labour unions.

Onanuga had been quoted as claiming that the NLC and TUC were already heavily partisan and therefore had lost all moral rights to be a judge in the post-election legal fights.

“Looking at the future, I do not even know how the NLC and TUC can now claim to represent all Nigerian workers having fully embraced the Labour Party,” he was quoted as saying.

The TUC, however, said it was its basic human right to take the course it did.

“The fact is that we created the Labour Party; in other words, the party is a child of the labour movement; this is nothing strange in democracies including Nigeria.

“In the United Kingdom for instance, the Labour Party is actually an alliance of trade unionists, socialists and social democrats.

“In fact, unions like those of Communications, Fire Brigades and Mineworkers are affiliates of the party.

“The German trade unions throw their weight behind political parties of their choice, “ the union said.