TYRANNY IN UNION LEADERSHIP: SOME FEATURES AND ELEMENTS

*PART II: Elements of Tyranny in Union Leadership*

By Segun Adekoya Esq.

Tyranny in Union Leadership can be easily identified with certain elements and features. Union members are admonished to watch out and identify presence of tyranny in their union with the aim of fixing it. In this part we will consider some of these elements:

*Authoritarian Control*: Union leaders concentrate power in their hands, make unilateral decisions, and suppress opposition or dissent within the organization. 

In this situation, written constitution is often ignored or reviewed and tailored towards the selfish motive of leaders. This puts absolute power at the whilms of few individuals who then decide the fate of the entire union based on their personal judgement at the time. Strike actions could be called and suspended without recourse to congressional considerations, elections are reduced to mere selection process among leaders who install their puppets to continue their 'legacies' with patronage and many other acts inimical to standard practices and enabled leaders to manipulate rules in their favour. 

*Lack of Accountability*: Leaders do not want to be and are not held accountable for their actions, hence, there is a lack of transparency in decision-making processes. 

This makes it possible to conduct shadow elections and organize a camouflage gathering where they only unveil their puppets. Congresses and general meetings are rarely held and when held, it's only to seek endorsement of their pre decided line of actions. Financial records are often not read or in the least not scrutinized. They consider call for accountability an act of disloyalty; hence label and alienate people who dare talk about probity.

*Suppression of Dissent*: 

Critics or members who challenge the leadership are marginalized, disciplined, or retaliated against.

*Disregard for Democratic Processes*: Union leaders ignore or manipulate democratic processes, such as elections, meetings, or referendums.

*Failure to Represent Members*: 

Leaders prioritize their own interests or those of a select group over the broader membership, leading to unfair treatment or neglect of member concerns.

These are some elements of tyranny in union leadership that calls for urgent and decisive attention. If these are not attended to, workers may continue to wallow in unfair working conditions and manipulation by both union leaders and employers.