Leadership of National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAAE) has distance self from the court case between the union and Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Just as it explained that the court case was embarked upon by the President over the union elective positions sharing formula without prior knowledge of the entire members of union.
It however tied the root cause of the internal struggle within the union to leadership issue whereby the President tried to come out with new executive for the union without following due process.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, NUAAE National Treasurer, Comrade Obafemi Oyenubi reiterated that the root of the in-house problem is that Comrade Simon Anchaver whose tenure expired as President few days ago is still indirectly struggling to organise a new set of leadership for the union contrary to the law governing the union.
According to Oyenubi, the union was against the court case because the President went to court without the permission of NUAAE because “we believe before an issue that have to do with union go to court, it must pass through the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union.
“There was no time the issue of taking the Ministry of Labour and Employment to National Industrial Court was discussed in NEC and there is no reason to do that because the Ministry has been neutral in their deals with our union.
“Rather we learnt that the former National President took the ministry to court because of a letter they wrote to the union.
“But he has no right to sue anybody or organisation, on behalf of the union because his tenure ended on 16 of January 2024″
Besides, the union accused Anchaver of the plan to conduct election for the union, but as his tenure ended, the union immediately set up transition committee in accordance of the union constitution, section 29, which stipulated that committee should be in charge of the administration of the union within six months, including conduct of election for the union and other activities.”
However, the President, Comrade Simon Anchaver while speaking with this medium said he took the Ministry of Labour and Employment to Industrial Court for its intervention into the in-house issue as against the laid down law.
According to Anchaver he took the ministry to Industrial Court for violating the International Labour Organisation (ILO) law which forbids the ministry from meddling into internal affairs of any Labour union.
He noted that the Ministry also went against Article 2 of the ILO Convention (No 87) of 1948 and the freedom of association law as spelt out in ILO Convention 1949 (No. 87) on right to organise.
Additionally, he wondered why the union is just disassociating the union from the case which has been in the court for close to two years.
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