The Federal Government, yesterday, continued its intervention in the brewing industrial dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Group. As of the time of filing this report, the union said the strike, which started yesterday, continues, disputing claims that Dangote was ready to unionise its workers.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, had announced on Sunday that he had summoned all parties to a conciliation meeting in Abuja, where his intervention aims to defuse rising tensions over alleged anti-unionisation policies at the refinery.
However, a terse message by NUPENG President to The Guardian upon inquiries on the outcome of the meeting read, “There is a stalemate.”
He had told The Newsmen on Sunday that the outcome of the meeting would determine if the union would shelve its ongoing strike.NUPENG had alleged an anti-worker and anti-union agenda by the Dangote Group.
Efforts to get Dangote Group to speak on the matter proved abortive as calls and messages sent were not answered or responded to by the media team.
THE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), in conjunction with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has supported the move by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to shut down operational activities in the oil and gas sector over alleged persistent anti-labour practices, intimidation and humiliation of workers within the Dangote Group.
The TUC and PENGASSAN, in their different statements, said the labour movement would not fold its arms while Dangote and its companies treat Nigerian workers as slaves in their own country.
They said no employer, no matter how wealthy or powerful, would be allowed to trample on the rights and dignity of labour, especially in the ongoing efforts to secure the rights of tanker drivers who are currently being hired at the Dangote Refinery.
PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the right of workers to unionise and collectively bargain was not only a fundamental human right but also essential for promoting fair labour practices, ensuring safety, and upholding dignity in the workplace.
Okugbawa said that should the ongoing situation persist without a resolution, PENGASSAN would be left with no option but to join in shutting down the refinery operations as a last resort to protect members’ rights and interests.
TUC President-General, Festus Osifo, also raised complaints of the denial of workers’ rights to unionise, harassment, and continued assault on the dignity of employees, in their affiliates in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Textile, Garment and Tailoring Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
He demanded that the government address PENGASSAN and NUPENG’s complaints fully and also stop the harassment of their members without delay, and recognise and respect the rights of workers to unionise in PENGASSAN, CANMPSSAN, TGTSSAN, and NUPENG immediately and unconditionally.
MEANWHILE, the Federal Government, yesterday, pleaded with members of NUPENG and the management of Dangote Group to follow the path of peace in resolving the contentious issues.Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, made the appeal in his opening remark during the conciliatory meeting between the two warring parties held in the Conference Room of the ministry.
He said: “We are here to try and reconcile our labour unions in the oil industry and the employers in Dangote Group.
“This is not the first time we have had this kind of dispute, and we believe that by the time we sit down with the parties involved, we should be able to settle them.
“We should be able to resolve the issues within the limit of what is possible. We believe that the gentlemen who are here today will assist us, and I can see the level of commitment in them to see that we resolve these issues.
“We want to appeal to all parties concerned to this meeting to please try to be peaceful, and as well as be as accommodating as possibleHOWEVER, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has called on the NLC to back up its solidarity with NUPENG into a nationwide struggle against casualisation and anti-union practices across all sectors.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Rufus Olusesan, and National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, the group declared full support for the NLC and NUPENG in their confrontation with the Dangote Group over alleged violation of workers’ rights.
The CDWR stressed that the struggle with Dangote was symptomatic of a larger problem in Nigeria’s labour market, where casualisation, outsourcing, and contract staffing had become entrenched.
The practices, it said, were designed to strip workers of job security, decent wages, pensions, and the right to unionise.