Habeebat Ajayi
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Ogun state chapter (ASCSN) on Thursday scorned the 7th triennial delegate conference of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) due to loggerhead over zoning of key elective positions.
The state Chairman of ASCSN Comrade Isa Olude during a press briefing disclosed that members of the Association scored the congress because the zoning arrangement for elective positions was not in their favour.
ASCSN which has the largest membership strength is one of the eight associations that made up the TUC in Ogun state.The ASCSN Chairman stressed that the agreement on zoning which was with other members of TUC was allegedly altered some hours to the congress.
Olude explained that the initial agreement was that the ASCN would get the chairmanship slot of TUC Women Commission with other key offices.
Describing the act as an embarrassment to the association’s integrity, Olude claimed that other members of the union changed the agreement by giving ASCN the secretary of the commission without prior notice.
He explained, “the arrangement was that since our association has been in charge of the leadership of TUC for quite numbers of years, precisely 12 years, the other affiliate contacted us and asked that we should allow them to have a slot of the leadership.
“In the opinion of the association, there can’t be leadership without followership and no single union can do it alone. We agreed on the chairmanship of the women commission.
“It came as a surprise to us today when they read the name of our member was read as the secretary to the commission instead of chairman.
“We are going to post our protest on the portal of the National Secretariat of the TUC informing them of the situation today, because the center belongs to all of us and no individual, no particular union nor affiliate can claim the ownership of TUC.”
He added,”we are not fighting; we will come back to the round table and agree on something. If they gave us what we want, then we can work together as a team to benefit our members.
“The list circulated yesterday was not our agreed list earlier, hence we considered it necessary to walk out of the delegate conference.
“All we want is to ensure that the position of chairmanship of women commission is given to our association.”
In his reaction, the newly elected Chairman of TUC, Akeem Lasisi said the supposed agreement was never an agreement.
He noted that there was realignment in the zoning of elective positions in the union so as to accommodate demands of other associations.
Lasisi explained that the union zoned the chairmanship slot of the TUC women commission to another association because members of ASCSN had occupied the position more than six times.
He however said the distribution of elective positions was to ensure justice and equity for other union members.
The TUC chairman however expressed readiness to have a round-table discussion with the aggrieved members of ASCN.
He added, “if you are talking of the gentleman agreement we had, it was never an agreement.
“In the case of the TUC chairperson; this association has been holding this post since the creation of TUC women commission in Ogun state. They’ve already spent almost six terms on this post as chairperson.
“Even the last administration, the association occupied the office of the chairperson TUC women commission and at the same time, they also occupy the post of the chairman of the union. You are now saying that you still want to continue as the chairperson TUC commission.”
Lasisi further said, “I think what the association want to do is that, they want to pocket TUC in Ogun state council into their own pocket.
“How can you say you will not contest for chairman and continue to take Secretary, treasurer and chairperson commission, is that possible?
“We will try to get in touch with them and try to settle, because in every election, there is usually some type of misunderstanding and this one is a type of it. I want to appeal to them to come back to the fold.”
