Nigerian Government, Labour Union Disagree Over Registration Of New Pension Unions

The Nigerian Labour Congress has once again called out the federal government over its purported plan to split the pension union.

Acting on a petition to the President against the decision which was taken in the last days of the former Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige,  the SGF, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo said the Ministry has overtime received applications from different interest groups seeking to register other trade unions of retirees who fall under the jurisdictional scope of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP).

The Permanent Secretary conceded the fact that “Part B of the Third Schedule of the Trade Unions Act CAP T.14 (LFN) stipulates the jurisdictional scope of the NUP as covering “all Pensioners from me civil service of the Federation Including Local government salutary corporations, government-owned companies, educational institutions for which the Government of the Federation is responsible. All such similar establishments. Also private-sector pensioners.”

He argued that “the reasons adduced for the agitation that other unions should be carved out of the NUP included amongst others; alleged structural defects with particular focus on the State and Local Government pensioners, lopsidedness In the appointment of national leaders, aged/dysfunctional leadership, lack of accountability, general inefficiency and failure to effectively represent the interest of its teeming members.

But the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba in his defence said in a letter to the SGF  that the decision to create two new unions out of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners was a violation of the laws of the land which stipulates that no new union shall be registered to represent workers where a union already exist.