UNICAL ASUU says FG illegally registered new unions for public universities
[From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar]
University of Calabar (UNICAL) Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted Federal Government’s in action in the registration of two new academic unions for universities.
Comrade Edor J. Edor, the UNICAL branch chairman of the association disclosed this after an emergency meeting of the union.
He maintained that the trade union act is clear on the registration of new Unions and that the same ministry of labour and productivity had earlier declined the registration.
“What does the trade union act say about registration of workers union where there is already an existing union.
“Section three and five of that act are very unambiguously clear and there is even a precedent.
“A group of people came together and applied to be registered as a union in 2013 and the same ministry of labour replied them that you cannot register them because there is an existing union that caters for your need.
“So this is illegal, if it was meant to cause division within our ranks have you seen any member of the so called CONUA.
“Instead of dividing ASUU, solve the problems we are asking you to look into”, Comrade Edor said.
Although he was silent on the position of the UNICAL chapter of ASUU on the issue of suspending the strike, he said the branch does not call off strike as it is the duty of the NEC of ASUU.
Comrade Edor also faulted the call to proscribe ASUU saying it will portend some kind of unintended consequences.
On the recent appeal court judgment, Comrade Edor said ‘the court of appeal gave us a window of seven days and if you should count it nominally we still have about three days to go”.
