ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The National Industrial Court in Abuja has directed the Federal Government and the Registrar of Trade Unions to register the newly established National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a trade union.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, the court ordered the three defendants to register NANTS under the provisions of the Trade Union Act.
A copy of the enrolled judgment order was made available on Tuesday.
The university workers had approached the court in suit number NICN/ABJ/345/2023 through Comrade Niyi Akinnibi, seeking an order compelling the government to register the National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a trade union.
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The defendants in the matter are the Registrar of Trade Unions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The court ruled that the refusal of the first and second defendants to register NANTS as a trade union was unlawful.
It also barred the defendants and their agents from preventing the claimant from obtaining registration under the Trade Unions Act.
The judgment stated, “A declaration is hereby made that the defendants are bound to register the claimant’s National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a Trade Union under the Trade Union Act.
” A declaration is hereby made that the refusal of the first and second defendants to register the claimant’s National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a Trade Union under the Trade Unions Act is wrongful.
“A mandatory order is hereby made directing the first and second defendants to register forthwith and or to issue the claimant forthwith with the certificate of registration of the National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a Trade Union under the Trade Unions Act.
“An order of perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the defendants, their agents, privies, assigns or any other person or authority deriving authority from them from denying claimant registration as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act.”
It was learnt that members of the new union had withdrawn from the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities to form NANTS, which now has branches in federal and state universities across the country.