A National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) in Ibadan, Oyo State, has barred the vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Felix Salako, from taking disciplinary action against eight non-teaching staff members of the institution over their membership in a union.
This comes after the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the institution had in October 2021, dragged the vice-chancellor and the university's Governing Council to the industrial court over plans by the university management to make the staff face a disciplinary committee.
The staff had accused the VC of trying to stop them from joining NASU and imposed an undertaking to not take part in the union's activities.
The presiding judge, Justice J.D. Peters while delivering judgment, disbanded the investigation committee set up to investigate the eligible members of the union and restrained the VC from interfering or meddling with the internal affairs of the staff members in whatsoever guise whether in terms of membership or running its affairs.
He warned the vice-chancellor and its privies to refrain from intimidating, threatening, or victimizing any of its worker (s) who participate or actually participated in trade union activities.
Professor Salako was also ordered to pay the cost of this action assessed at N200, 000 only to the applicant.
