About 14 concerned affiliates of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria have disowned the delegations and positions of the congress at the ongoing National Conference.
Leadership of about 14 affiliates of the Congress, which signed a protest letter to the TUC Secretariat, included the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Hotel and Personal Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, National Association of Pilots and Engineers and Automobile and Boatyard Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
Others are the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, Pulp Paper, Printing and Paper Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, Shop and Distributive Trade Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Shipping and Freight Forwarders Senior Staff Association, Precision Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association, and Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools.
According to them, the President-General, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, single handedly selected those that will be representing the TUC at the conference without due consultation with the affiliates.
Hence they called on the Federal Government and entire Nigerians to discountenance the TUC representation and not to see them as workers’ representatives, adding that TUC as a labour centre did not approve any representation as enshrined in the Congress’s constitution and no position taken by the organ.
They cited Rule 9(a)(xv) of the TUC constitution, which states, “The Central Working Committee (CWC) shall upon the recommendation of the NAC approve the representatives of the Congress of statutory commissions, boards and other important external bodies.”
They argued that many interests such as oil and gas, manufacturing, shops and distributive, aviation, maritime,etc are not represented because the unions that are operating in these sectors were not consulted by the leadership of the TUC before going to the CONFAB.
The affiliates, which had earlier met about two weeks ago to review activities and operations of the TUC since Comrade Boboi Bala Kaigama of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria assumed the leadership of the congress in June 2013, expressed strong worries and fears with the ways and manners that the leadership of the TUC had been flouting the constitution of the congress.
The concerned affiliates condemned the ways and manners the President-General and the Secretariat has been running the administration of the Congress.
The unions alleged that since the President General assumed office, he has refused to convene any regular meeting of the constitutional organs of the congress to deliberate on any issue affecting the labour centre, adding that every entreaty by well-meaning affiliates and elders of the Congress to persuade the PG fell on deaf ear.
The Constitution states as follows: Rule 8(xx): “The National Executive Council (NEC) shall meet in every six month …”
Rule 9(x): “The Central Working Council (CWC) shall meet in every quarter…”
Rule 10(b)(vii): “The National Administrative Council (NAC) shall meet at least four (4) times in every year…”
“Aside from the inaugural the National Administrative Council (NAC) comprising of all elected executive members’ meeting that we had, we have not had any other in the last nine months ago; the CWC comprising of the presidents and general secretaries of all affiliates; or the National Executive Council (NEC) comprising presidents, general secretaries and state councils chairmen and secretaries. The constitution specifically said that before any decision will be taken by the congress, the inputs of the appropriate organs must be sought particularly the CWC of the TUC,” they stated.
“No argument, no matter how strong could be used as an excuse to breach a functional constitution,” they said.
The concerned affiliates reiterated their earlier stand that the operations of the labour centre should be conducted in honest and transparent manner.
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