NUT/HQS/E.I./34/01/899                                                                    26 – 06 – 07


His Excellency Meles Zenawi,
Prime Minister,
P.O. Box 1031,
Addis Ababa,
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Your Excellency,

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), a professional cum trade union organization of all teachers in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and institutions in Nigeria is concerned by the governmental intimidation and harassment of trade union leaders and members of the Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) headed by Gemoraw Kassa.

My organization, the NUT, has been alerted by Education International, the global federation of teachers, that three Ethiopian colleagues – Antheneh Getnet, Meqcha Mengistu and Woldie Dana – were re-arrested in May 2007. A fourth colleague, Tilahun Ayelew, is in hiding since May 28 after having been informed that the security forces were to arrest him.

The facts are all the more worrying that the two ETA officers in detention and the one in hiding are precisely the three colleagues who had previously been arrested, detained and tortured at the beginning of the year until their release on 23 March 2007.

In June 2007, the case of Ethiopia was discussed by the Commission on the Application of Standards of the International Labour Organization. The Committee expressed “its deep concern over the new allegations relating to recent arrests of trade unionists and continuing mistreatment, intimidation and interference. It called on the Government to look into these recent allegations and, if they prove to be true, to ensure the immediate release of any newly detained teacher”. The Committee also “expressed the firm hope that appropriate steps would be taken to ensure that teachers are fully guaranteed their right to organize and carry out legitimate trade union activities both in law and in practice without government interference and that they will no longer be subjected to detention or imprisonment for exercising their rights guaranteed under the Convention 87”.

Mr. Prime Minister, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) urges your Government to honour and respect the ILO Convention 87 on the right to freedom of association, ratified by your country, Ethiopia.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers urges your Government to take the appropriate steps to ensure that teachers in the public sector are fully guaranteed their right to organize, form trade unions and carry out legitimate trade union activities both in law and in practice without government interference and that they will no longer be subjected to detention or imprisonment for exercising their rights guaranteed under the Convention 87.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, which represents over 500,000 teachers and education employees in Nigeria, requests that you ensure the immediate release of the detained teachers.

In addition, the Nigeria Union of Teachers urges you to use your good offices to put in place an enduring and appropriate machinery that will not only democratize the practice of industrial relations without external interference, but also ensure a legacy of cordial and smooth industrial relations practice established on a principle of tripartism as stipulated by the ILO and not on the basis of militarism and repression. Africa and the entire world have a lot to learn from Ethiopia, as one of the foremost historical role models of the continent. The current state of affairs requires your immediate intervention.

Please accept from the entire members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the best wishes of the highest esteem, as we look forward to a positive response to our requests.

Yours sincerely,


OBONG I. J. OBONG,
Secretary-General.

CC: The Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations,
Ambassador Fisseha Yimer,
56, rue Moillebeau,
P.O. Box 338,
1211 Geneva 19,
Switzerland.

2. His Excellency,
Dr. Martin I. Uhomoibhi,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary,
Embassy of Nigeria,
Zieglerstrasse 45,
CH – 3007 Bern,
Switzerland.

3. General Secretary,
Education International (E.I.),
5, Ed du Roi Albert 11,
1210 Brussels,
Belgium.

4. Ethiopian Chancery,
Plot 332, Cadastral,
Zone AO,
Diplomatic Drive,
Central Business District,
Abuja.




OBONG I. J. OBONG,
Secretary-General.