We have foreclosed reconciliation with NLC — NUPENG President

The President of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and Deputy President of the newly launched United Labour Congress (ULC),  Comrade Igwe Achese, in this interview with SOJI-EZE FAGBEMI, speaks  on the new labour centre, what led to its formation and what becomes of their affiliation with the Nigeria Labour Congress.

Launching a ULC ends factionalisation of NLC?

Let me bring this to the notice of Nigerians, it has been on for a while now, there is no more factionisation in the NLC again. The issue of factionisation in the NLC is closed, what is on ground now is that we have a new centre of the movement which is ULC and as such, that brings to close whatever challenges we are having today in the movement.

Is there any possibility of further reconciliation with NLC using in-house mechanism?

I don’t know what mechanism you are talking about again. We have said clearly again that we have gone beyond the issue of where we were before and for the interest of Nigerian workers that is why we have to make sure ULC is being created, that the new labour centre is being created by the virtue of the laws and the Act that establish a centre, and that is where we are today.

Like I said, we are opened, ULC is very opened; and I am talking as the deputy president of ULC that we are very much opened to collaborate with TUC. NLC is also a registered institution, we are also ready to collaborate with them in the course of this movement because the interest is just one, it is not two.

Need for multiple labour centres and Act?

You will agree with me that prior to the existence of centre we have as NLC, we have more than one labour centres in this country. It was when Obasanjo took over as a military head of state he amended the act and decided to bring NLC as the only labour centre. It is the same Obasanjo that later came up when he became the elected president that we can have multiple labour centres, and amended that act. In the course of amending that act, he removed the issue of NLC existence as one labour centre. And as such, NLC supposed to go back again to reregister as a centre which was not done. The law was not behind us when we were all there operating as NLC. The only registered institution today as a labour centre in this country is TUC that has a 001 number. I could remember within those period the challenges we had is that Obasanjo was after NLC, so if we go to do registration now he will not approve us, but the man approved TUC to be registered by virtue of their membership.

Now we are going forward to register, we expect NLC also to tow the same line with us as ULC, moving and also register, get their fresh certificate as a labour centre that is where we are. We are not here to create any crisis as far as the movement is concern.

How many affiliate trade unions you have in ULC to ensure registration?

We have 17 registered trade unions with us, and other unions who are still undergoing process of their registration. With that, we are up to 25. We expect other unions to move in and join us, we are talking to a number of unions and a lot of unions are talking to us as well to affiliate with ULC and we are very committed to do that. They are all welcome.

Poaching membership from NLC and ULC?

We are not poaching. Let me be honest with you. Affiliation to a centre is not issue of poaching, it is constitutional right If you wish, it is not mandatory that you much affiliate. So, if you want to de-affiliate from NLC, you can de-affiliate and the move on into any other because the certificate you have is not NLC certificate, it is you trade union certificate that you have. So if you are affiliating to ULC today you can de-affiliate, you have right to de-affiliate. So it is not issue of poaching, there is no poaching in affiliation.

Is the case in court resolved?

When we were factionised, Ayuba faction took our faction to court which was not granted. The court said the matter before me has life and if I wanted to go into it, as I see it and the affidavit before me and from information I have gathered is to annul the NLC election and appointed a sole administrator to run the affairs of NLC. But in order not to do that, NLC should go and see how they can reconcile, that is where we are and that reconciliation didn’t see the light of the day. We realised NLC was just like centred into one sector of the labour movement and we say that cannot work.

If the court resolved the issue in your favour and says you should go back to NLC?

Let me be honest with you, no court will come to compel the ULC today to say go and affiliate to NLC. It is our right, it is in the law, it is enshrined. If the court decide today that there was flaws in the election, go and rectify it, it it the responsibility of the NLC, not our responsibility as ULC, we will not be part of it, I will not be part of it. We have a new labour centre.