ITF, AUPCTRE and the Usurping of Union Activities

Trade unions are basically an integral part of liberal democratic society. They are an important part of the fabric of the Nigerian society, providing social, economic, political and psychological benefits for their members as well as the platform for participation in managerial functions in government and work industry.

It is worrisome therefore that in recent times, trade unions in Nigeria are witnessing serious challenges that tend to militate against their performance.

One of such is the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE). It has been having crisis with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) whose management it said is refusing to cooperate by stopping deductions of staff check-off dues since January 2023.

AUPCTRE is accusing ITF of backing another labour group, the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Companies (SSASCGOC) which has a judgment against it which ITF was not a party.

For months AUPCTRE has been demanding the re-instatement of check – off dues deductions yet ITF remains adamant and continued to ignore all correspondence sent to them.

AUPCTRE then wrote to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to intervene, they did by asking ITF to hands off on union membership. ITF ignored this, thus in October 2025 NLC threatened to picket ITF office.

The Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry, the parent ministry of ITF, came in to mediate, and they brokered a meeting where it was resolved to seek advice from their legal department.

Suddenly, ITF, which is siding with SSASCGOC, went to court and sought for perpetual injunction against AUPCTRE, and this has compounded rather than solved the problem.

ITF’s actions are in deference to AUPCTRE’s commitment to welfare of its ITF members, and in spite of Trade Union (Amendment) Act (2005).

Freedom to join trade unions is reinforced by the provisions of S.40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution  which states the right of citizens to form or belong to any political party, trade union or other associations. Also, the provisions of the International Labour Organization Convention No. 87 of 1948 supports same.

Efforts of workers to seek improvement on existing working conditions through collective actions is a right not a privilege. Therefore labour unions are demanding urgent action that ITF should uphold worker’s rights and maintain status quo by resuming deductions of check-off dues of its members.

In the faces of these issues, the fundamental human rights of workers should be upheld by ITF who should not only restore dues deductions but stay clear of union activities.

Comr. Luka Daniyan, Abuja