A
trade union is an organization made up of members (a membership-based organization)
and its membership must be made up mainly of workers.
One of a trade union's main aims is to protect and
advance the interests of its members in the workplace.
There
are associations and unions in every work discipline that oversee and advocate
for the organization’s affairs. These organizations are referred to as economic
unions, and we will look at a list of trade unions in Nigeria and their
functions in this article.
Up
until know you might have been hearing about popular trade union associations.
This organization is the association of workers who speaks for their members in
a particular field (like medical, teaching or petroleum). Their primary objectives
are to ensure their workers’ working conditions and effect implementation of
policies to favour them from the government.
Additionally,
trade union organizations set working guidelines, mediate the workers with the
government, ensure good pay, and also implement conditions for the benefit of
their members. In Nigeria, there are various trade unions.
These
unions are differing in the field they are on. Like the NMA in the medical
profession, or the NUT in the teaching line. As we further in this article, you
will know more about these powerful trade unions that are in operation in the
country and their functions.
What are Trade Unions and How Do They Work?
You
may have heard about popular trade union organizations up until now. This is a
group of workers who speak up for their fellow workers in a specific field
(like medical, teaching or petroleum). Their principal goals are to guarantee
their employees’ workplace conditions and to have government policies favoring
them implemented. There are numerous registered trade unions in Nigeria. In the
field in which they operate, these unions differ. In the medical field, the
NMA, and in the education field, the NUT.
Full List of Trade Unions in Nigeria and their Roles
Nigeria
has a large number of powerful trade union organizations that cover a wide
range of occupations. Here is the complete list of Nigeria’s trade unions and
their responsibilities:
NIGERIA LABOR CONGRESS (NLC)
This
trade union is seen as one of the most active in the country, due to how they
handle issues affecting labour workers in the country, by going on industrial
action. NLC house the workers in the country by intervening for them against
some goverment odd policies. The trade union body was established in 1978 and
has Comr. Ayuba Wabba as its present president. Furthermore, the Nigerian
Labour Cobgress objective is to free Nigerian labour force from maltreatment
and abuse, which is mostly through some government implementation and
programmes which affects the workers. Issues that the body castigate includes:
hike in fuel price, poor payment of salaries and stipends and other agonising
issues affecting the general workers.
ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU)
Another
labor union in the country is the Academic Staff Union of Universities. It
originated in 1978, when the Nigerian Association of University Teachers was
disbanded. All senior and academic personnel at Nigeria’s federal and state
universities are members of the union. By safeguarding the rights of its
members, the group works as a protective shield for all government public
university academic employees. ASUU has gone on strike in a number of cases,
effectively shutting down all government universities. The union is taking
these steps in order for the government to meet the need for academic personnel
while also raising the quality of university systems. This organization
addresses all concerns relating to nonacademic personnel at Nigerian
universities, while also advocating for the nonteaching staff at public
institutions. In 1977, the NASU was established as a trade union. The necessity
to address significant issues concerning nonacademic personnel in government
universities prompted the formation of this union.
NON-ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (NASU)
Popularly
known as NASU, it is related union to the preceding one above (ASUU). This
association deals with all issues concerning with nonacademic staffs of
Nigerian universities, by speaking for the lesser non teaching staff of public
institutions. NASU was formed as a trade union association in 1977 through the
Decree No. 22 (Davison 1977). The formation of this union was because of the
need to address critical issue concerning nonacademic workers in the
government universities.
NATIONAL UNION OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL
GAS WORKERS (NUPENG)
The
union’s name indicates that it is an organization that ensures that workers in
the petroleum business have safe working conditions and are satisfied. The
trade union is a subsidiary of the Nigeria Labor Congress, and the Congress protects
them on matters affecting oil employees.
UNION OF TEACHERS (NUT)
The
Nigeria Union of Teachers is a trade union that houses all the teachers in both
government primary and secondary schools in the country. The need for this
union to be established since February 1931 was because of vulnerabilities
uncovered from the cuts in teachers’ pay rates and the appearance of supremacy
in the profession. Today, the body is embossed with the responsibility of being
a voice for teachers in country.
DIRECTORS GUILD OF NIGERIA (DGN)
The
entertainments also have trade unions to administer the field. This is seen in
the photography and movie industry, as the union known as Directors Guild of
Nigeria. The union is the association which serves a body for motion pictures
and TV chiefs in the country’s entertainment industry. DGN was set up in 2001
and they have presently Mr. Fred Amata as the leader of the union, which also
includes movies chiefs and other personalities in the photography field. The objectives
of this union are to maintain international standards in filmmaking in the
country, and also ensure the enabled working condition of workers in this
field.
NIGERIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NMA)
The
Nigerian Medical Association, NMA is union that consists of trained experts
like Doctors in the medical field. Other workers in Medicine, Surgery,
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Public Health and Laboratory Medicine
are also included in this medial union. The Nigerian Medical Association as a
trade union, aims at ensuring that medical workers are properly cared for: in
salary, work safety, and creating a good environment by providing the needed
medical equipment.
ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF POLYTECHNICS
(ASUP)
The
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics is congenerous to its university wing,
ASUU, but the difference is their area of application. ASUP body covers all the
of the academic staff in the polytechnics. This includes Lecturers,
technologists, and all teaching workers in all polytechnics and monotechnics in
Nigeria. The body ensures the working environment for these academic staffs,
and they undergo an industrial action to criticize a particular government
policy affecting them.
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (PENGASSAN)
This
is another association in the petroleum industry. PENGASSAN includes top
officials and senior staff in the industry. These senior staff in the oil and
gas segment are critical to the country and an action by the union may cripple
economy, due to the fact that the sector is the major stake of the country.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENT DOCTORS (NARD)
The
Association of Resident Doctors is a medical union that comprises of all specialists
in the medical profession in Nigeria. It is a subsidiary of the Nigerian
Medical Association. The role of the union is similar to NMA as it involves all
the issues concerning medical workers, but the demarcation between the two
medical associations is that it relates to issues about resident medical
doctors in Nigeria.
Functions of Trade Unions in Nigeria
There
are various functions which Nigerian trade unions have undertaken over the
years since their history.
These
roles are as follows:
a)
Trade unions performs political role as they
use their collective right to influence government decisions on behalf of their
members and the society at large.
b)
They perform market role by intervening and
liaising with government on wage bargain which has an impact on both worker and
the economy.
c)
They also perform regulatory role by
providing the standards for jobs terms and conditions that will benefit the
ordinary citizen.
d)
Trade Unions create a sense of democratic feeling
at the workplace for labourers
e)
Takes care of the welfare of its members and
groups.
Requirements to Register Trade Union in Nigeria
It
should be noted that before an application is considered to start a trade
union, there must be at least fifty members for the Trade Union of
employees, and two members in the case of Trade Union of employers. It is then
that the application can be considered by the Registrar.
Guidelines to Register a Trade Union
The
following are the steps that should be done in order to apply for the registration
of trade unions in Nigeria:
1. Send Application to Registrar
Once
the application for registration is signed by members, it is then sent to the
Registrar of Trade Unions for vetting. There are some documents which should
accompany the application which must dully state the name and reasons why such
Trade Union must be established.
The
required documents include:
I. Two original copies of the rules and
constitution of the association.
II. Proof
of recorded minutes of the general meeting where the decision to form the union
was taken.
III. A comprehensive list of attendants with
their various signatures, addresses, age and occupation of signatories who
signed the application.
IV. A comprehensive list of executives of the
association. It should contain the names and office of the officials, their
age, addresses and occupation.
V. The application itself must be submitted to
the office of registrar of trade unions (RTU) with five thousand naira.
2. Await approval by minister
The
next step is to wait after submission and hope that the application is approved
by the Honorable minister in charge of Labour.
3. Application is gazetted for a period
For
three months, there will be a publication of notice of application that would
be made in the Federal Government’s Official Gazette. It is during this period,
that objection to the registration of the trade union can be made by anyone who
feels that it isn’t in the best interest of the public can then write to the
Registrar of Trade Union.
4. Registrar considers objection application
Normally,
it is rare to see objections to Trade union applications, but according to the
laid down rules in registering an association or union, there must be consideration
of objections by the registrar raised towards the registration of the union.
Normally, if such objections are credible, the Registrar will immediately
notify the applicant accordingly without approving the application but if such
is found without evidence, then the trade union is formed without hassles.
5. Presentation of certificate to the Trade
Union
Once
all the above steps is met and complied with, the Trade Union is now dully
registered and would be presented with a certificate of registration to kick
start its activities lawfully.
Numerous
professional disciplines in the country have resorted to trade unions for help.
This is particularly the case in light of the fact that they safeguard and
protect the rights of their employees in the public good. In Nigeria, there are
numerous trade unions in a variety of occupations. We went over the list of
these trade unions, their goals, as well as how their members and the wider
public are affected
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