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We’re not factionalised, concerned TUC affiliates insist

By Gloria Nwafor
11 August 2022   |   2:40 am
Concerned affiliates of the Trade Union of Congress (TUC) have dismissed widespread factionalisation claims, insisting they remain united with the national body.

Trade Union Congress (TUC). Photo: NigeriaBusinessDirectory

Concerned affiliates of the Trade Union of Congress (TUC) have dismissed widespread factionalisation claims, insisting they remain united with the national body.

Addressing a press conference, yesterday, their chairman, Emmanuel Jaja, said what the group wanted from the national body was to ensure mistakes made before the national delegates’ conference, held recently in Abuja, were corrected.

He stated that since the TUC leadership did not dialogue with the concerned affiliates before the conference, they were forced to head for court.

Restating that they were open to dialogue, Jaja said the National Industrial Court (NIC) had restrained the national body from conducting the delegates’ conference pending the determination of the substantive issues.

He said: “Regrettably, the national secretariat of the congress, on February 28, 2022, issued a notice on its WhatsApp platforms informing affiliates of the coming national delegates’ conference, which was scheduled to hold on July 19 and 20, 2022.

The course of our court action was the inclusion of the position of the president among the contestable positions on noticing what we considered initially as a mistake turned out to be a deliberate and wilful intention to distort congress’ unanimous agreement reached at the 2019 delegates’ conference.

“These 10 affiliates jointly wrote to the leadership of the congress drawing their attention to the mistake and requested for correction, yet nothing was done even until the time of this press briefing.”

Jaja added: “The Association of Senior Staff of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSIBIFI), on its part, reminded, the president of the congress of the observed mistake, but no response nor excuse was received to date.

“The only option left for this group was to seek the court interpretation of the delegates’ conference resolutions and as a responsible organisation, the leadership of TUC should have waited to hear from the court rather than take laws into their hands, thereby flouting the court orders.”

Consequently, the concerned affiliates demand that the exercise be nullified pending the determination of the substantive issues in court.

Meanwhile, a statement obtained from the TUC national body, said the election in the last TUC delegate conference was done in accordance with the court order from Abuja NIC, saying “that said we should follow our constitution.”

The statement explained that a quorum was formed at the conference and the process was seamless.

Noting that the concerned affiliates went to court in Lagos and the process is ongoing, it said: “A minority cannot lord their will over the majority. They went to court in Lagos because they have faith in the process. They should kindly exercise patience and wait for the final verdict.”

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