By Victor AhiumaYoung

The Registrar of Trade Union, RTU, Mr Amos Falonipe, has dismissed insinuations that the Nigerian laws bar management staff from joining and participating in trade unionism.

Speaking at the 2nd Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PTECSSAN, in Lagos, the RTU, explained that what the law forbids is for a management staff to be a union executive.

Responding to complaints by the President of PTECSSAN that the restriction by the Labour Law forbidding certain category of staff from joining the union, Falonipe, insisted that “no law in Nigeria forbids management staff from unionism. But as a management staff you cannot take up leadership position in the union. However, you should belong to a union because a worker is a worker.

You have to belong to the union for the protection, defense and even fighting for your rights. You cannot do this by yourself. It is the responsibility of the union to do so on your behalf. Take for example, I am a Director in the Ministry and I belong to the union. Union should be made to be attractive to workers. Job security is paramount. It is the primary responsibility of unions. Therefore, unions should ensure the job security of members.”

Earlier in his address, PTECSSAN’s President, Opeyemi Tomori, had among others, lamented the challenges faced in organizing workers in the sector.

According to him, “There are many factors responsible for the low membership drive. Restriction due to the Nigeria Labour Act which has exempted someone level of staff from joining the union. Some companies have maliciously taken undue advantage of this provision to forbid hundreds of potential members from joining the union.

On this note, our Association has taken the matter to the National Industrial Court for interpretation.
In other cases, state themselves are too afraid to declare their membership of the union for fear of being targeted and victimized by the company management.

“To encourage workers to exercise their right to freely associate, we have been organizing workshops for sensitization. Also, our association uses social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (X) and so on to conduct public awareness on the need to be organized and how to go about it.”