Why We Rejected Purported Registration Of CONUAS, NAMDA- NLC

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayba Wabba has given advanced reasons why registration of some new unions with the academic and health sectors were unacceptable.

In the peak of the controversy between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities which include litigations at the National Industrial Court and Appeal Court owing to the just concluded eight-month strike by ASUU, the FG registered the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics (NAMDA).

In a letter, the labour leader questioned the minister’s motive for registering CONUA and NAMDA, accusing the ministers of single handedly midwifing the regrouping, noting that this was contrary to local and international practice, citing as example the restructuring of trade unions in 1978 based on the Abiodun Committee Report received significant inputs by the social partners.

“Overall, Minister, we still want to believe that you were not properly advised on this matter. As the Chief Labour Law Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we believe that you will take advantage of our presentation of the true position of the law to redress this grave injustice done to our labour jurisprudence by the “awarding” trade union certificates to CONUA and NAMDA,” Wabba said.