The decision by the Committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors to stop the deduction of union check-off dues of the members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, may trigger a fresh industrial action in the institutions across the country.
The committee at its 37th regular meeting held in Abuja on April 15, 2025, deliberated on the need to adhere strictly to the Trade Union Act in dealing with the issues of unionism across the Federal Polytechnics in the country, particularly the provisions of section 12 (4) of the Nigeria Trade Unions (Amendment) Act, 2005 and section 5 (4) of Nigeria Labour Act, 2005 which stipulates that ‘no employer shall make deductions for trade union dues from the wages of any worker who has not expressly consented to the deduction’.
Similarly, section 12 (4) of the Trade Union Act, (Amendment) 2005 stipulates that membership of a trade union shall be voluntary and no worker shall be forced or compelled to join any trade union.
Thus, rising from its deliberations on the issue, the committee mandated all Rectors to ensure full compliance by obtaining individual written consent from workers before making any deductions from their salaries as check-off dues in favour of any trade union.
Consequently, the Principal Officers at its meeting held on Tuesday, 22nd April, 2025 deliberated on the matter and thereafter resolved and directed that with effect from May, 2025 check-off dues for any union shall no longer be deducted from staff salaries.
In enforcing the resolution of the committee of federal polytechnic rectors, the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Soko G.O, announced in a statement that “in view of this, the Polytechnic Community is hereby informed that any staff member who desires that check-off dues be deducted from his/her salary for any union shall henceforth be required to formally write to Management in respect of such deduction.
“For avoidance of doubt, effective from May, 2025 salary, check-off dues will not be deducted from staff salary without written consent from individual staff.”
In a swift reaction, however, the Chairman of ASUP, Federal Polytechnic, Offa chapter, Dr Down Atilola, said the statement by the management “is a declaration of war on the union and we will rise up to the occasion in defense of a union we have always loved.
“The attention of the union has been brought to a mischievous write-up by the management stating that deduction of union dues will be stopped and members will freshly have to apply to join the union (ASUP) by quoting a so called decision by the ‘Committee of Rectors’.
“Let it be known that the said Committee is unknown to any law and is also an aggregation of people who are simply opportune to be Rectors who now seek to destroy the very foundation upon which they stand.”
Dr Idowu described the position of the management under the leadership of the Rector, Engr. Dr Kamoru Kadiri as “very disappointing and shameful as he is one of the primary beneficiaries of unionism, a former union chairman and ought to have had more introspect before championing such a divisive and anti-union course.
“Fundamentally, it is short of proper reasoning for anyone to ask members to start applying for membership of a union they already belong to, some for more than two decades and one wonders when the Rectors suddenly became enforcers of the Trade Union Act.
“This release by the management is a declaration of war on the Union and we will rise up to the occasion in defense of a Union we have always loved,” the ASUP chairman declared.