Abstract
Trade unions are established to bridge communication gaps that may exist between the employers and individual employees and to fight for the general welfare of the working class people. Beyond that, trade unions are fundamental to the development of secure, prosperous and democratic society. They are also the bedrock of civil society. In spite of these important functions, trade unions in Nigeria have had a chequered history mainly as a result of their ordeals in the hands of successive regimes in Nigeria. Trade unions in Nigeria have always been at the receiving end of obnoxious government policies, internal crisis and the impacts of globalization. Successive regimes in Nigeria from colonial, military to democratic regimes have always looked at trade unions with suspicion instead of partners in progress. As a result of this posture, trade unions have often been treated with disdain and even proscribed at some points. In spite of this situation, the political history of Nigeria underscores the continuing significance of the trade unions in Nigeria. In a country where there are no viable oppositions to the government in power, trade Unions have continued to fight for the interests of the ordinary people, and will most likely continue to perform this all-important function into the unforeseeable future. Based on the foregoing, this paper examines the Challenges faced by trade unions in Nigeria from the colonial era to the present democratic dispensation and contends that trade unions will continue to be resilient and remain the voice of the voiceless in Nigerian 'society into the distant future provided they work out ways of grappling with the numerous challenges facing trade unions in Nigeria.