Daily Independent Online.
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Wednesday, July 07, 2004.
SECDAN vows to resist call to join RTEAN, NURTW
By Stella Odueme
Reporter, Lagos.
Self-Employed Commercial Drivers Association of
Nigeria (SECDAN) has vowed to resist the pronouncement of the Lagos State
Commissioner for Transportation Mr. Muiz Bakare directing all unions within the
transportation industry to align with either Road Transport Employers
Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) or National Union of Road Transport Workers
(NURTW.
The state Chairman of the association, Lagos, Mr
Olukayode Bakare said this during a chat with Daily Independent.
Depressed at the pronouncement, he stated that the
Commissioner had committed “some expensive errors of omission by
excluding the SECDAN from operating in the state while recognition was accorded
to only RTEAN and NURTW”.
He lamented that despite previous indictments of the
two unions by the Commissioner, as Unions that fomented trouble that claimed
lives and properties on October 10th, 2002, recognition was still given the
troublemakers to continue with the nefarious activities. He added that if
officials of RTEAN and NURTW should enter SECDAN parks to collect tolls, his
men would resist which might end up to be an invitation to chaos and imminent
danger in the state.
According to him, the committee that was set up by
the state government to undertake the review of the activities of the Transport
Unions in the state had visited SECDAN parks and found them peaceful “Our
parks are always tidy and well organized and the committee could not find
anything indiscriminating “ he said.
The Legal Adviser to SECDAN, Mr Olaore Esuola argued
that the Decree 4 of 1996 that the Commissioner quoted to support his argument
was faulty because the Trade Union amendment Act gives recognition to 29
Industrial Workers Unions, under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in
which NURTW was affiliated.
He added that RTEAN was affected by decree No. 1
which established National Employers Consultative Association (NECA), which
RTEAN was a member, a document, he said excluded the Transport undertaking by self-employed
persons, which are on contractual basis and which made them free from the two
unions.
According to Bakare, his association had earlier gone
to the Federal Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity and were told
that anybody who was a self-employed commercial driver had no business with
trade unions because they were meant to cater for the drivers themselves.
He said that SECDAN viewed the commissioner’s
directive as an invitation to chaos as some members of NURTW have been parading
their parks like Ogba motor park and garage with intention of hijacking the
parks through violence.
According to him, a letter from Federal Ministry of
Labour and Productivity Abuja of 21 Januray, 2003 directed to AIG, Zonal 2, and
copied the General Secretary SECDAN, National Secretary NURTW and General
Secretary RTEAN denied NURTW and RTEAN access to operate in public motor
parks.He urged the state government to reverse the decision to prevent a
possible outbreak of chaos in the transport industry, as SECDAN was ready to
resist it.
