By Our Reporter, With Agency Reports
THE TRADE Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday picketed Abuja Continental Hotel (formerly Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers) over alleged anti-labour practices, including the denial of workers’ rights to unionisation and collective bargaining.
The TUC, which is the second labour centre in Nigeria, alongside members of its affiliates, barricaded the entrance to the hotel, disrupting the movement of vehicles in and out of the premises for about two hours.
Workers and union members carried placards with inscriptions such as “Unionization of Workers,” “Fair Treatment, Fair Pay,” “Fair Voice,” “No Intimidation,” and “No To Modern Slavery.” Some workers, however, displayed opposing messages, including “TUC does not speak for us. We do not authorise TUC representatives” and “We are saying no to unionisation.”
Speaking during the protest, TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, said the union had resorted to picketing after efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue failed.
Toro said the TUC wrote to the hotel management on August 4 over what it described as violations of workers’ rights, but management reportedly responded that ongoing renovation work would prevent discussions until the end of November.
He described the response as unacceptable, arguing that the concerns raised by the unions were urgent and should not be delayed until the completion of the renovation.
“The issue is very clear. Workers are being treated as slaves at Abuja Continental Hotel. Their rights are being violated,” Toro said.
He said the unions were demanding that workers be allowed to freely join or form trade unions and engage in collective bargaining, rights he said were guaranteed under Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The TUC also cited the Trade Union Act and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions C87 and C98, which protect freedom of association and collective bargaining.
According to the labour centre, workers who were re-engaged after the hotel’s renovation, as well as newly employed staff, had allegedly been prevented from exercising their right to unionise.
Toro further raised concerns over an agreement reached between the hotel management and the affected unions on October 15, 2022. He said the agreement contained an undertaking that at least 70 per cent of the affected workers would be re-engaged when the hotel reopened.
The labour centre is demanding compliance with the agreement, alongside improved working conditions, fair treatment and remuneration, and an end to alleged intimidation of workers seeking to join trade unions.
Toro said the TUC had shared relevant correspondence with the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), but stressed that the union remained open to dialogue.
He said the picketing would continue until Friday, when the union would review the situation, while maintaining that the dispute should ultimately be resolved peacefully.
Also speaking, William Adegbe, National President of the Hotel and Personal Services Senior Staff Association (HAFSA), alleged that the dispute was not limited to Abuja and that similar unionisation problems had occurred at the Continental Hotel in Lagos.
According to Adegbe, HAFSA and the National Union of Professional Service Industries (NUPSI) had made several attempts to engage the management before escalating the matter to the TUC.
“Our letters and pleas for a meeting with the management have been ignored. That was why we escalated the matter to the labour centre, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria,” he said.
Adegbe alleged that workers had been denied access to conditions of service and the right to associate following changes in the hotel’s ownership and operations after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also alleged that some workers were intimidated during the picketing.
“Our mandate is to defend workers anywhere in Nigeria. That is why the Trade Union Congress has come here to demonstrate that the workers’ concerns are genuine,” he said.
However, the position of the TUC was disputed by representatives of some workers at the hotel.
Samuel Esiakpoyere, spokesman for the workers’ representatives at Abuja Continental Hotel, said employees were not aware of the alleged correspondence between the unions and the hotel management.
“To the best of our knowledge, this matter affects us. If there are correspondences, how many are there? We have not seen anything,” Esiakpoyere said.
He maintained that workers had not been adequately involved in the unions’ alleged engagements with management and said the hotel management was making efforts to improve their welfare.
“The management is doing its best, and we know that whatever we are going through is going to get a lot better. We do not want the union to kill us while trying to help us,” he said.
Esiakpoyere urged the labour unions to pursue their demands without disrupting the hotel’s operations or threatening workers’ livelihoods.
The dispute therefore presents competing claims between organised labour, which says workers are being denied constitutionally protected rights to association and collective bargaining, and representatives of some hotel employees, who say the unions do not speak for them and should not disrupt operations.
The TUC nevertheless maintained that the alleged restrictions on unionisation, the concerns surrounding the 2022 re-engagement agreement and other reported labour practices must be addressed.
The TUC stated that workers remain prepared for dialogue but will continue their industrial action until the issues are meaningfully addressed.
