The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its members across the country to mobilise in support of the nationwide strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against Dangote Refinery.
In a circular signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on Monday in Abuja, the congress urged its affiliates to prepare for what it described as a “full-scale, decisive engagement” against what it termed the conglomerate’s anti-worker practices.
“You are requested to commence, with immediate effect, preparation for a vigorous and comprehensive unionisation of all workers within every Dangote Group facility falling under your jurisdiction,” the memo read.
The NLC accused the refinery of operating in violation of workers’ rights, alleging that the company has repeatedly flouted Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, as well as national labour laws.
According to the congress, PENGASSAN and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) were “symptoms of a deeper malaise — a capitalist pathology of union-busting, worker enslavement, and gross impunity that defines the Dangote Group’s industrial relations strategy.”
“Their facilities are not workplaces but plantations of exploitation, where the dignity of the worker is systematically crushed to maximise profit for the few,” the NLC stated.
The labour unrest follows PENGASSAN’s declaration of an industrial action at the weekend, which directed its members to halt gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment on Monday urged both parties to resolve the dispute swiftly in the interest of Nigerians, the union, and the refinery.
Comments