National Union of Postal and Telecommunication Employees (NUPTE) has said only the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has the right to collect stamp duty, and not the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The union claimed the power to collect stamp duty given to FIRS is illegal.
Speaking with reporters, President of NUPTE, Comrade Nehemiah Buba, said the union had reported the infraction to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), saying it is impacting negatively on the workers of NIPOST, who are members of the union.
“It is a clear issue. It’s just like someone trespassing. But I think FIRS is getting an upper hand on this issue because they are connected to the big boys in the country. “But, sincerely, it is the duty of the NIPOST. And taking it away from NIPOST has a negative effect on them, most especially on the welfare of their staff because it is affecting their financial status. We have also asked the NLC to come in and settle the rift,” Buba said.
He lamented the problems facing the union, especially in the area of organising.
According to him, the main challenges of the union is employers’ resistance to workers joining the association and the right to organise.
He said, as a result , many workers in the sector faced unfair labour practices that include intimidation, harassment, poor remuneration, abuse of expatriate quota policy and increasing spate of precarious work, among others.
Buba noted that, on several occasions, the union had taken steps to address the labour-related issues confronting the workers in the sector, but it had been rebuffed by the companies involved, noting that the problem was more prevalent in the private sector.
“The major challenge we have in our sector is the issue of organising. As you know, our jurisdiction covers both the public and the private sector. For instance, in NIPOST, Level 7 and 8 are ceded to the senior staff association, which is not supposed to be.
“In the private sector, employers have come up with resistance on unionism. They don’t want their staff involved in the union. They don’t want workers to have interface with the union,” Buba said
