Home Aviation Personnel ANAP Trains Members On Effective Leadership, Trade Union Management

ANAP Trains Members On Effective Leadership, Trade Union Management

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L-R: Prof Francis Anyim, Unilag, Comrade Kabir Gusau, President ANAP, SG ANAP, Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu and Prof. Ayo Olowe Unilag at the One-Day Training, Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

A major union in the aviation industry, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), on Tuesday empowered its officials with the requisite knowledge on how to better co-ordinate and organise their activities in their various units to effectively work with management for the benefits of the workers.

At a one-day training workshop in Sango-Ota Ogun State, President of ANAP,  with the theme: Effective Leadership in the Management of Trade Union’s Comrade Kabir Gusau while declaring the workshop open said, an ill-equipped union official cannot stand before the management to defend the welfare and interest of their members, hence the need, to update their knowledge.

Comrade Gusau noted that, unionism is not about banging the tables, when there are vexed issues between them and management, stressing that the focus should always be on resolving the issues amicably in favour of the staff and the overall good of the agencies and the industry in general.

“If you are not well trained, there is no way you can perform; you will be making a lot of mistakes and you will think unionism is just for you to go and bang tables and engage in Incessant strikes. 

Gusau urged the participants mainly from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch to educate other members with the knowledge acquired to promote industrial harmony and  also to gain the favour of their management.

In his keynote address, Secretary General of ANAP, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu said, the emergence of ANAP in the industry had changed the way workers welfare are being handled.

According to Saidu, the industry had been unlucky with bad management and government imposition and removal of management which had led to low morale of staff and poor service delivery.

“In order to change the trend, that is where ANAP came in and since year October 2016, if you look back, it has been a rough road rough in the past 10 years, road due to oppositions from individuals and even from other unions”.


Some participants and lecturers at the training workshop

In a lecture with the theme: “Effective Leadership in the Management of Trade Union: Issues and Trends in Industrial Relations, Negotiation skills and Collective Bargaining in Nigerian”, the resource person, an Associate Professor, Department of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, University of Lagos, Francis Anyim stressed that, once a union cannot negotiate, that union is considered as dead.

He emphasised that, bargaining and negotiating skills are needed for a union to meet the goals and aspirations of its members, adding that, when their members are happy, the union is seen as working for their interest without compromise.


“During past decades, people hold negative view of trade unions as an institution, that are adept at advancing their own interest at the public expense”.

The Associate professor urged the union to carry along their members and report back to them if there are agreements reached with management in the event there is a contentious issue.

“For the union to be effective it must maintain itself as an organisation by bringing members together through organising and keeping the union running smoothly through effective administration, coordination and good internal communication”.

Prof. Anyim called on labour leaders to have adequate knowledge of the Nigeria labour laws, government regulations and agreement procedures that influence employment conditions.

“Know when to press and stop pressing for some demands and to reach agreements over the demands”.

He added, “aside from improving wages and working conditions, the trade unions provide workers both protection against arbitrary management decisions and with a voice at the workplace”.

Facilitator of the training and lecturer UNILAG, Prof. Ayo Olowo in his paper ‘Trade Union Funds and Financial Control’, said, union’s funds are expected to be used for the purpose of furthering the course of the union as contained in the rule book.

He emphasised that, the union members are entitled to be informed as to how their funds have been used or invested.

“The various sources of funds include subscriptions, levies, fines, donations, aids, grants an income from investments”.

Prof. Olowe stated that, proper use of the union funds would enhance the confidence and trust reposed on the leadership, adding that, to safeguard the unions asset from misappropriation, unions must keep proper accounting records and put an internal control mechanism in place.

“Since these funds are held in trust for its members, it is essential that these funds are properly managed by union’s officials”.

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