The National Industrial Court in Ibadan has restrained the management of The Polytechnic Ibadan from meddling in the internal affairs of the institution’s Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) branch.
It would be recalled that the NASU national body had sued the institution’s Governing Council, its Acting Rector, Dr Lasisi Abideen and its Acting Registrar, Mr Ogunjimi Joseph for dissolving the institution’s NASU executives.
Delivering judgment on the matter on Tuesday, Justice Yakubu Hassan said the dissolution of the institution’s NASU executives and setting up of panel to investigate its affairs by the Polytechnic’s management amounted to meddling in its activities.
Hassan said that the claimants have freedom of association and right to belong to any union without any interference by the defendants.
He said that the setting up of the panel by the management to investigate the affairs of the institution’s NASU executives was unlawful and against international best practices guilding trade unions activities.
The judge also held that the institution’s management was crying more than the bereaved by claiming that the panel was set up to resolve the union crisis, whereas no complaints of any crisis was made by the union to the management.
” I thereby resolve all the issues for determination raised by the claimant in the affirmative and in favour of the claimant and against the defendants.
“The dissolution of NASU executives of The Polytechnic Ibadan branch and setting up of the panel to investigate their affairs is unlawful,void and amount to meddling in their internal affairs.
“I set aside all the proceedings and recommendations that might have been made by the panel and restrained the institution’s management from further intervening or meddling in the internal affairs of union,” Hassan said. NAN