Court orders Federal Government to register NANTS as trade union for university non-teaching staff

The National Industrial Court has ordered the Federal Government to register NANTS as a new trade union for varsity workers, ending a dispute over their ri Read More: https://punchng.com/court-orders-fg-to-register-nants-as-new-varsity-workers-union/

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, has ordered the Federal Government and the Registrar of Trade Unions to formally register the National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities (NANTS) as a trade union. In a judgment delivered by Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, the court directed the defendants to register NANTS under the Trade Unions Act. A copy of the enrolled judgment order was made available to journalists on Tuesday. The suit, numbered NICN/ABJ/345/2023, was filed by Comrade Niyi Akinnibi on behalf of the association. 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 held that the refusal by the first and second defendants to register the union was wrongful. It issued several key orders, including:A declaration that the defendants are bound to register NANTS as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act.  A declaration that the refusal to register the union was wrongful.  A mandatory order directing the immediate registration of NANTS and the issuance of a certificate of registration.  A perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies, or assigns from denying the union registration under the relevant Act. It was gathered that members of the new union broke away from the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) to form NANTS, which now has branches across federal and state universities in the country. The judgment is expected to pave the way for NANTS to operate as a recognised body representing non-teaching staff in Nigerian universities.