NUT urges secondary school teachers to shun illegal union
The National leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged secondary school teachers to shun any illegal union and remain law abiding for the prosperity of the teaching profession in Nigeria.
The Deputy National President of NUT, Mr Kelvin Nwankwo, made the plea during a news conference organised by the association on Wednesday in Lagos.
Some secondary school teachers have formed a new Trade Union known as Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) led by Mr Samuel Omaji.
Nwankwo stressed that all well meaning teachers of secondary schools in Nigeria should cooperate with the NUT for the prosperity of education in Nigeria and the current provision of the Trade Union Act and labour laws.
He said that diligent and hardworking secondary schools teachers should ignore any form of interaction with the ASUSS.
The deputy NUT president added that the news conference was organised to straighten the record of NUT versus ASUSS emanating from the misinterpretation and misinformation by the ASUSS on the supreme court judgment of Jan.15.
“The national leadership of the NUT unequivocally lays bare and throw light on the deliberate mischief, misinterpretation and falsehood being circulated on various print and electronic media platforms.
“The information says that the supreme court on the Jan.15 delivered judgment granting secondary school teachers a new trade union known as Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) which is strange and unfounded.
“To the best of our knowledge the subject matter on appeal is ASUSS vs NUT which was before the Supreme Court bordering on the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
He added that in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court ,the great NUT was awaiting the transmission of the matter to the court of Appeal for the rehearing on jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
“Then ASUSS making a hollow, deceptive and false claim to have obtained judgment to unionise secondary school teachers is reckless, complete falsehood and extraneous to the decisions of the Supreme Court.
“With the provision of the Trade Union Act we call on all teachers of secondary schools in Nigeria to disregard the baseless claim by ASUSS because the matter is still before the Supreme court.
“The status of NUT in unionising teachers of primary and secondary schools remains sacrosanct and backed by the jurisdictional scope of trade unions as contained in the trade union act,”Nwankwo said.
He noted that NUT would clock 90 years of trade union practice by July 2021,the leaders had been mutually rotating her apex leadership’s position between the secondary and primary school teachers.
“ The NUT is enjoying a robust spirit of comradeship where we pursue the welfare of our members and better conditions of service, but not which arm of the teaching industry do you belong.
“The great NUT for over a decade had achieved the 27.5 per cent teachers peculiar allowances for teachers in Nigeria including the so called members of ASUSS who have continued to reap where they did not sow.
“ Our strength lies in truth and justice to the teachers and qualitative service to the children of Nigeria, whom we have sworn to nurture and teach to become functional, well-meaning Nigerians,” Nwankwo said.
