NUP raises alarm over plans to register new union

The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), electricity sector, has raised an alarmed over plans by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige to register Electricity Sector Retirees Welfare Association (ESREWA) as a trade union.
Chairman, NUP(electricity sector) caretaker committee, Barr. Abel Eikhor, who spoke with journalists, said Chief Temple Ubani, after he was denied registration by the Registrar of Trade Union, decided to get registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as Electricity Sector Retirees Welfare Association (ESREWA).
According to Eikhor, the CAC can only register business names, adding that such companies cannot function as trade unions.
He also quoted article 3(2) of trade union Act which states that “no combination of workers or employees shall be registered as a Trade Union save with the approval of the Minister on his been satisfied that it is to register the union either by regrouping existing Trade Unions, registering a new Trade Union or otherwise however, but no Trade Union shall be registered to represent workers or employees in a place where there already exists Trade Union.”
Also, the NUP Contributory Scheme Sector has also urged the minister not to consider registering another union of contributory pensioners.
Chairman of the union, Comrade Syva C. Nwaiwu in a statement said ” It is uncalled for, for any CPS retiree or group of retirees to allege that NUP is in any way marginalising pensioners under the CPS.
He said “it is important for the Honourable Minister to note that leaders of the group pestering him to register another union for them are mostly people of the same ethnic extraction with the Honourable Minister. Not only that, they have been boasting of using that advantage over NUP to achieve their quest to by pass the rule of law and due process to register their own conceived Union. This stands indictive to the Honourable Minister, and we suggest it is better avoided.
“We want to state categorically that at NUP our interest is being taken care of and we have not at anytime made any request/apply for registration of a separate trade union apart from NUP from the Honourable Minister.”

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