Nigerian govt implores ‘uncle of unions’, NLC, to quit opposing creation of CONUA, NAMDA

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been urged by the federal government to drop its objections to the establishment of two new academic unions in Nigeria’s public university system.

The call was made by Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, in a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja and signed by Mr. Olajide Oshundun, Head, Press and Public Relations.

The ministry in Abuja recently issued letters of recognition to the two new unions, the Congress for Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).

However, the NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, requested the removal of the letters sent to the unions in a letter to Ngige on the grounds that their registration broke the rules governing trade unionism.

In his response, Ngige had urged the NLC to uphold the spirit of the Freedom of Association by allowing the new unions to operate.

The minister claimed that the Trade Dispute Act of 2004 grants him exclusive authority to register new trade unions, whether by forming a new union or reorganizing existing ones.

He emphasized that the new unions were the byproducts of regrouping and that two committees within his ministry had reviewed their applications.

Ngige also said that this was with the Registrar of Trade Unions participating when the first recommendation for approval was given in 2019, and again in 2022.

READ ALSO:‘ASUU has outlived its relevance,’ Ngige defends registration of CONUA, NAMDA

In order to improve system efficiency and efficacy, he added that CONUA and NAMDA were reorganized from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

More critical, the minister said, is to safeguard these groupings of university professors whose outlook varies from that of the unruly parent union.

“Comrade President, do not unnecessarily oppose the registration of these new academic unions.

“Because with ASUU, they are all like seeds on the academic soil of Nigeria and which will grow into big trees we don’t know, but the one which her trees are not bearing good fruits, we already know.

“So, as an uncle of the unions, oppose none in the spirit of Freedom of Association, ’’he said.

He said that it should be noted that Section 3 (2) of the Trade Dispute Act, CAP T14 gives the Minister of Labour and Employment, the sole power to register new trade unions, either by registering new trade union or regrouping existing ones.

He added that the matter was a subject of litigation in the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in most recent case which the President of the NLC failed to mention in his narration of court cases.

“The case of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) and the regrouped Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria (FEPPAN) from NUP where the Law on Regrouping of Trade Unions was extensively explored and ruled upon.

“Unlike the cases cited by the President of the NLC to misinform the general public and unfortunately lead astray his affiliate Trade Union – ASUU,’’ he said.

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