Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, led a protest at the Lagos State Government House, in Alausa on Wednesday, against the continued ban on the activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)
Present at the protest were Secretary General of TUC, Nuhu Toro; Deputy General-Secretary of NLC, Ismail Bello; President of TUC/Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, and Lagos State Chairman of TUC, Gbenga Ekundayo.
General secretary of the TUC, Nuhu Toro, explained that the labour leaders were at the Lagos government house to demand the unbanning of both RTEAN and the NURTW by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, among others.
Mr Olasunkanmi Ojo from the Ministry of Transportation, who received the protest letter on behalf of Governor Sanwo-Olu, assured the labour leaders that the Governor would look into their demands.
Toro said: “The right of freedom of association and collective bargaining is fundamental. Our constitution recognizes the right of workers to belong to a union.
Our Labour Act respects the rights of workers to form and belong to a union. The ILO conventions 67 and 98 guarantee the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and so, the RTEAN and NURTW are trade unions.
According to Toro, the Governor should permit the unions to continue to operate as unions without interference and “if they have any grouse around the union, they should take them to court and the court will make a pronouncement”
“If there are areas anybody feels uncomfortable, our rules and our procedures are there to follow to explore but not to trample on the right of workers to operate their union” he said.
