The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) has faulted the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), over what it described as “unlawful and misleading” claims to organise senior officers of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
In a statement on Sunday, SSASCGOC said recent demands by AUPCTRE for the remittance of check-off dues from ITF officers on Grade Level 07 and above were contrary to existing court judgments and the provisions of the Trade Union Act.
The union noted that the Court of Appeal, in its July 2023 judgment, affirmed earlier rulings of the National Industrial Court that SSASCGOC exclusively represents senior staff in statutory corporations and government-owned companies, while AUPCTRE’s jurisdiction is limited to junior staff on Grade Level 06 and below.
“Not even in any member organisation of SSASCGOC can officers on Grade Level 07 and above be members of AUPCTRE. Any claim to deductions from such officers is untenable and unsustainable in law,” the association said.
SSASCGOC commended the management of the ITF for complying with the judgment by remaining neutral and refraining from remitting check-off dues to either union in respect of officers affected by the dispute, describing the move as responsible and law-abiding.
The association also criticised AUPCTRE for lobbying the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to intervene in the matter, insisting that labour disputes fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“It is neither the duty nor the power of any ministry or department to review or overturn court judgments. The Ministry of Labour and Employment had already expressed the correct legal position, which was later upheld by the courts,” it added.
Reacting to claims by NLC and AUPCTRE that Section 40 of the Constitution guarantees workers the right to belong to any union of their choice, SSASCGOC said the provision was not absolute, stressing that Nigerian law restricts workers to unions designated to operate within their employment categories.
“The argument of absolute freedom of association was canvassed before the courts and rejected. Workers cannot simply join any union that catches their fancy,” the statement said.
SSASCGOC urged the NLC to operate within the ambit of the law and avoid actions capable of causing disharmony between labour centres, particularly between the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
It also warned against renewed picketing or industrial actions, citing past disputes involving NIPOST and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria as examples of labour conflicts that disrupted productivity and public service delivery.
The union further called on the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to caution the NLC against what it described as threats to its member organisations over an issue it said had already been conclusively settled by the courts.
“We trust that this matter will now be laid to rest in the interest of industrial harmony and respect for the rule of law,” the statement, signed by SSASCGOC’s Acting General Secretary, Akin Okudero, said.
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