A heated dispute has broken out between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Nigeria’s labour unions over workers’ rights and union dues.
The refinery has accused the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of caring more about collecting dues than protecting workers.
In a sharp statement, Dangote Refinery criticized the TUC for siding with PENGASSAN without hearing the company’s side.
“Without hearing from Dangote Refinery, the Congress has passed a guilty verdict on the Refinery’s management and now parrots the PENGASSAN line, zombie-like, calling for a national industrial action if Dangote management fails to comply with its demands,” the company said.
Dangote claimed PENGASSAN’s priority is securing check-off dues, pointing to a TV interview where union president Festus Osifo allegedly demanded dues less than 24 hours after workers unionized.
The refinery accused union leaders of living “lavish and opulent lifestyles” without transparency, challenging PENGASSAN, TUC, and NUPENG to publish 10 years of audited accounts.
The company urged the federal government not to let unions drag Nigeria back to “dark ages” of energy insecurity, calling the refinery a national asset that must be protected.
The TUC fired back, insisting no investor is above Nigerian law.
Bosun Olabiyi, TUC chairman in Oyo State and former PENGASSAN financial secretary, didn’t mince words:
“No investor is bigger than Nigerian law. The Constitution is clear, and Nigeria is a signatory to global conventions that protect workers.
Dangote cannot ask for an exception because of his investment.
If Total, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Agip, Shell, Halliburton, NNPC and NLNG have operated for decades in Nigeria with unions, there is no reason why Dangote should be different.”
Olabiyi said workers unionized because of longstanding concerns about welfare and working conditions.
He stressed that the right to collective bargaining is constitutionally protected and can’t be waived by any employment contract.
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