The National Industrial Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, on Friday struck out the suit filed by Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS’), Bayelsa chapter, against the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
In the suit, ASUSS is challenging the Bayelsa branch of the NUT for superintending over the affairs of secondary school teachers.
Justice Bashir Attahiru-Alkali, in his ruling, upheld the preliminary objection of the NUT, that ASUSS lacked legal status to institute the action.
The NUT had insisted that ASUSS was not a registered trade union, and lacked the legal capacity to challenge NUT and its activities.
ASUSS had approached the NIC to seek redress and to stop the deduction of union dues from salaries of secondary schools’ teachers by NUT.
It said that it had lost confidence in the ability of the NUT to represent and protect the interests of secondary schools’ teachers in the state.
Stanley Damabide, counsel to NUT, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, saying official registration was very important for any group to operate as a union, which the ASUSS lacked.
Also speaking, Johnson Hector, the state Secretary of the NUT, called on members of the ASUSS to return to NUT and work together to achieve common goals.
On his part, Bayelsa Chairman of ASUSS, Oyinemi Eberedeni, who expressed dissatisfaction over the ruling, said they would go to a higher court to challenge the NIC’s ruling.
Support Quality Journalism in the Niger Delta Region
Join us in our mission to bring development journalism, cultural preservation, and environmental awareness to the forefront. Your contribution makes a difference in the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. Donate today and be a part of the change!
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.