BREAKING: Organised Labour embarks on nationwide strike
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its members to mobilise in support of the nationwide strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against Dangote Refinery.
The directive, issued on Monday in Abuja through a circular signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, called for what it described as a “full-scale, decisive engagement” against the conglomerate’s alleged 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 circular stated.
The NLC argued that the dispute involving PENGASSAN and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) was part of a wider problem of “union-busting, worker enslavement, and gross impunity” that it claimed characterised the Dangote Group’s labour practices.
It further alleged that the Dangote Refinery “is not a workplace but a plantation of exploitation where workers’ dignity is systematically crushed.”
The Congress accused the refinery of operating “as a state within a state,” alleging that it has repeatedly violated Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, ignored International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, and treated national labour laws with “utter disdain.”
