TUC Pickets Abuja Continental, Accuses Management of Treating Workers Like Slaves

ABUJA — The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday picketed the Abuja Continental Hotel, accusing its management of violating workers’ fundamental rights and denying employees the freedom to unionise and engage in collective bargaining.
TUC officials and members of affiliated unions, including the Hotels and Personal Services Senior Staff Association (HAPSSAN) and the National Union of Professional and Allied Staff of Nigeria (NUPSI), converged on the hotel premises to protest the alleged violations.
The demonstration disrupted activities at the hotel as protesters attempted to block the entrance and lock the gate. Security personnel and some hotel officials resisted the move, while several security operatives were deployed to the premises.
Speaking during the protest, TUC Secretary-General, Comrade Nuhu Toro, said the union had exhausted avenues for dialogue with the hotel management before resorting to industrial action.
“The issue is very clear. The hotel workers are slaves in Abuja Continental, their rights have been violated. They are not allowed to exercise their fundamental human rights and that is why we are here,” Toro said.
He explained that the TUC had deliberately pursued dialogue before taking action, noting that the union wrote to the hotel management on August 4, inviting it to discussions aimed at resolving the dispute peacefully.
According to him, the hotel management responded that it might not be available for discussions until the end of November because of ongoing renovation work.
Toro questioned the decision, arguing that workers’ rights could not be suspended because the hotel was undergoing renovation.
He said the response left the TUC with no option but to escalate the matter and demand that workers be allowed to exercise their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Toro maintained that workers have a constitutional right to freedom of association and should be allowed to exercise that right without intimidation or interference.
He stressed, however, that the protest was not intended to permanently shut down the hotel.
“We will be here for this week. From now until Friday, we will be here. We will review it on Friday. If they are ready to talk, we will talk,” he said.
Toro added that the TUC remained open to dialogue with the hotel management.
“If they want to dialogue right now, we are ready to dialogue with them. But workers are the backbone,” he said.
The TUC secretary-general also rejected suggestions that all Abuja Continental workers were opposed to unionisation after some employees were seen carrying banners indicating that they did not want to belong to a trade union.
Asked whether the protesters could claim to represent all hotel workers, Toro said every worker had the right to express an opinion but argued that the presence of some opposing workers did not establish that all employees rejected unionisation.
He further claimed that the TUC had information that some workers supported the unionisation effort but were afraid to publicly identify with the protest.
Toro maintained that the union would continue to push for workers who wanted to join a union to have their rights protected.
The TUC official also said the labour centre was willing to attend any meeting initiated by the hotel management, provided representatives attending the meeting had the authority to negotiate and make decisions on behalf of the organisation.
The dispute is expected to continue throughout the week, with the TUC saying it would review the situation on Friday and remain open to negotiations with the hotel management.