Posted by Babatunde Oke on
THE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, has urged President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity, to speed up the registration of the federations of trade unions that had met conditions for their registration as spelt out in the Trade Unions Amendment Act 2005.
THE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, has urged President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity, to speed up the registration of the federations of trade unions that had met conditions for their registration as spelt out in the Trade Unions Amendment Act 2005.
The congress alleged there had been foot dragging by the Office of the Registrar of Trade Unions to register the congress, despite the fact that it had met all the conditions provided for by the Act.
Our correspondent gathered that the letter was dated July 11, and signed by the President-General and the Secretary-General of the TUC, Mrs. Peace Obiajulu, and Chief John Kolawole. It was addressed to the president, through the Head of Service, Alhaji Ahmed Yayale, and delivered to his Office on Monday.
It would be recalled that the process of democratisation of trade union movement in Nigeria started during the first term of President Obasanjo, with the aim to bring Nigeria's labour laws in conformity with the international standards of the International Labour Organisation.
At first, a committee comprising all stakeholders, including the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association, the Labour Ministry, and workers' unions, especially the Nigeria Labour Congress, was set up by the government to examine all existing labour laws and recommend necessary amendments to upgrade them to the ILO's standards.
But barely had the committee started its work that the government initiated the Trade Unions Amendment Bill in the National Assembly, which was changed about five times before its final passage by the legislature in March this year.
The amendment provided for registration of other labour centres (to be known as federation of trade unions) alongside the NLC, which had hitherto enjoyed a monopoly as the sole labour centre for 22 years.
Part of the conditions set by the amendment include that the new federation should have at least, 12 registered trade unions as affiliates and that the affiliates should pass a memorandum to be registered.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Treasurer of TUC, Mr. Solomon Onaghinon, said that the reasons for the delay were not known as the congress had met the conditions.
He said, 'We don't know why the Office of the Registrar of Trade Unions refused to register the TUC. If there is any condition that had not been met, they should let us know, so that we can trash it out. But with this one that we are in suspense, people in charge should know that the fate of the senior staff in all sectors of the nation's employment is hanging in the air."
'We are aware that the NLC was not against registration of additional trade union or labour centre, when the workers agreed, why should anybody be against us."
The Punch Tuesday, July 12, 2005