Kwara Secondary School Teachers Takes NUT to Industrial Court Over Alleged Illegal Deductions

 

The Kwara State branch of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) has filed a suit against the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) at the industrial court in Akure, Ondo State, over allegations of illegal salary deductions.

 

The legal action, labeled as NICN/IL/13/202, was initiated by ASUSS Chairman Aduagba Mansur and three other union members. The suit also names the State Teaching Service Commission, the Commissioner for Finance, the Head of Service (HoS), and the Attorney-General as defendants.

 

According to Mr. Mansur, the ASUSS officially severed ties with the NUT in 2020 and had informed all relevant parties of their decision. Despite this, the union claimed that NUT has continued to deduct check-off dues from its members’ salaries without their consent.

 

“It is disheartening to realize that the NUT never stopped deducting our check-off dues after we have since pulled out of the union,” Mansur stated. He further accused the state’s Attorney-General of complicity in these alleged unlawful deductions, despite ASUSS’s non-membership status.

 

The ASUSS argued that these deductions, which affect over 9,000 members, have been made without proper authorization. The union is now seeking a court order to stop the deductions and to secure refunds for its members.

 

“We did not subscribe to the check-off dues being unlawfully deducted from our respective salaries into the coffers of the NUT,” said the union in its suit. It further demanded the NUT and other parties involved provide an account of all deductions and refund the amounts to the affected individuals.

 

Additionally, ASUSS is requesting the court to issue a perpetual injunction, barring further deductions from the salaries of its members unless authorized in writing by the union.

The union contends that the defendants have violated multiple sections of Nigerian labor law, including Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and various provisions of the Trade Unions Act and Labour Act.

 

In response, the State Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Abubakar Bello Taoheed, declined to comment on the matter, stating, “The lawyers are handling it. I sincerely don’t have anything to say about it.”

 

Similarly, Yusuf Agboola, the State Chairman of the NUT, initially promised to respond but failed to provide further comment by press time. The court is expected to deliberate on the case, with ASUSS hopeful that the legal action will protect the rights and interests of its members.