Investment tribunal dismisses union’s claim of labour crisis

The Investment and Security Tribunal (IST), on Tuesday, warned the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Technicians, Entertainment and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE) to strictly keep off from the tribunal in its best interest.

This is following the recent SOS which was written to President Muhammadu Buhari by one Mr. Benjamin Anthony, who is the national president of AUPCTRE.

IST’s Director of Corporate Communications, Kenneth Ezea, made this known in a statement, copies of which were made available to newsmen.

Kenneth, who expressed dismay, noted that they have read stories (SOS) written by Mr. Benjamin Anthony to the President to “step in and resolve the crisis rocking Investments and Securities Tribunal.”

“The said Benjamin Anthony also made other untenable and invalid claims about the Tribunal and its Chairman/CEO which we wish to correct for the proper guidance of the members of the public,” he said.

He stated that: “On May 21, 2019, the National Industrial Court (NIC) resolved a case between the AUPCTRE and the tribunal and in its judgement given by Justice Sanusi Kado, ruled that AUPCTRE is not the legal trade union to represent members of staff of IST.

“The court also restrained the officers of AUPCTRE from parading themselves as representatives of IST staff while directing management ‘not to interfere with the staff in choosing to join appropriate union within the jurisdictional scope of the industry to which they belong’ which is the judiciary.”

According to him: “Our records show that AUPCTRE actively presented and defended its case before the NIC until judgement was delivered but instead of complying with the decision of the court, they chose the use of violence to simulate and precipitate artificial crisis around the tribunal.”

He berated that the AUPCTRE leadership had been using its staff, especially lawyers to fabricate wicked and malicious petitions against innocent chief executives of Federal Government agencies under the guise of labour union agitations.

“Such malicious and intractable manipulations have already led to the closure of the NERFUND office,” he added.