News - NLC begins reconciliation moves, to recall sacked scribe

[TGD]

 THE crises that have engulfed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which have seen appointment of two acting general secretaries since May 24, 2011, may be resolved soon.

A judgment, which would be delivered by the National Industrial Court (NIC) next week Friday is expected to state the terms of agreement.

The Guardian gathered in Abuja that the President of NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, who counseled the gladiators to save the NLC from imploding, initiated the peace moves.

Adejumo, in his submissions at the hearings, observed that if the disagreement was allowed to fester, the Nigeria Labour movement would suffer and be incapacitated to perform its main functions, which include seeking better wages, high standard of living for workers and preventing introduction of policies that may be deemed inimical to the economic prosperity of the working class.

The NIC president, while expressing concern about the way the former general secretary of the union, John Odah, was treated, stated that the central labour union would find it difficult to confront employers of labour when workers are maltreated if NLC could treat its own workers shabbily.

Toeing the same line of thought, NLC treasurer, Ayuba Wabba, who led the truce moves, praised Odah for his role in building the modern labour movement.

"We thought that the best thing to do was to settle this matter out of court. Labour movement is one big family and we cannot be seen to wash our dirty linen in the public. The negotiations were give-and-take in nature. In the end, it was the Labour movement that won," he said.

The terms of settlement are scheduled to be read in the National Industrial Court in Abuja next week Friday, February 1, 2013.

The agreement stated that the sack letter issued to Odah on May 24, 2011, would be withdrawn and he should be recalled to his duty post immediately. However, Odah is expected to tender his letter of retirement upon resumption of duty.

"The claimant (Odah) shall on the same day of resumption in office as the general secretary of the NLC deliver to the Congress through the President or any officer a written three (3) months notice of his voluntary retirement from service and on the same day proceed or deemed to have proceeded on retirement leave."

The terms of settlement also stated that the reinstatement, recall and resumption of office of Odah as general secretary of the NLC shall take place on February 1, 2013.

Odah, who will bow out of the congress on April 30, 2013, joined the services of the NLC on April 1, 1987.

But to the General Secretary of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Peters Adeyemi, the removal of Odah as the general secretary of NLC was illegal in the first place and bringing him back and then retiring him cannot be an achievement but a retrace of wrongfully-taken steps.

He explained: "The removal of Odah was not justified in any way from the very beginning. It shows the triumph of truth over lies. All the allegations leveled against Odah for his removal have crumbled. Now, they are seeking resolution out of court because they cannot sustain their arguments in the court.

"For me, this is an indication that the NLC should not be destroyed on basis of individual vendetta. The secretariat is the bedrock of Labour movement. As it has turned out now, some unions have followed the bad example set by the NLC to remove their general secretaries. There are processes to follow in the removal of a general secretary. The President is not empowered to remove the general secretary at the slightest provocation," Adeyemi said.

Besides, there is rising optimism that the cases of Onah Iduh and Esther Ogunfowora, pending at the NIC, may be resolved amicably too.

The case instituted by Iduh against the NLC comes up at the NIC on February 28, 2013.

The resolution of the saga may have finally pushed the Elders' Committee, which is headed by former president of the NLC, Hassan Sunmonu, into irrelevance.

A source close to the negotiation said: "The Elders' Committee was set up to resolve all the disagreements that arose after the delegates' conference. But with the committee failing to make headway for almost one year and the genius manner the president of NIC intervened and showing why out-of-court settlement was imperative, the Elders' Committee has been consigned into dustbin of history."



The Guardian