NUPENG Strike Continues As Labour, FG Talks Collapse, Dangote Rep Walks Out

Negotiations between the federal government, organised labour, and representatives of the Dangote Group over the ongoing strike by oil workers collapsed on Monday night after the company’s representative walked out of the meeting in Abuja.

The breakdown means the strike action will continue, with unions insisting they will resist what they described as attempts by the Dangote Group to deny workers the right to unionise.

The meeting, scheduled for 10am, eventually started at 5pm and dragged till almost midnight, underscoring the tense atmosphere.

Benson Upah, acting general secretary of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), confirmed the talks ended without agreement.

“The representative of the Dangote Refinery walked out on the Minister and organised labour. So they walked out, so there was no agreement? No. Even when we bent backward to accommodate his uncompromising behaviour, he still did what he had to do. So we were left with no option but to do the needful,” he said.

Asked what “the needful” meant, Upah added: “The action continues. It takes more than a party to reach a resolution. So whenever the representative of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery sees the need for a meaningful dialogue, why not? We are ready. We are ready any time, even this night.

“If he changes his mind and comes back, that he is ready for discussion. We are here. That is the reason why we are here.”

He dismissed concerns that the strike would hurt ordinary Nigerians, saying: “Do not put the Union on the defensive. I want you to speak courageously to the misbehavior of this gentleman.”

‘We Can Not Allow Modern-Day Slavery’

Williams Akporeha, president of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), said the strike was in the interest of Nigerians.

“The action of Labour is also for the interest of Nigerians. We can not stand and see an investor whose main purpose is to come and enslave Nigerians. He can not take us back to the dark days of slavery,” Akporeha said.

He accused the Dangote Group of seeking to monopolise not just the petroleum sector but also workers’ rights.

“So it is unfortunate that at this point in time, we are having an investor whose main purpose is to say there can not be union in his establishment. He wants to monopolise the entire system and even monopolise workers alongside with him. This we said no. And it cannot happen during our time,” he added.

Government Appeals for Calm as PENGASSAN Joins Strike Threat

Labour minister Muhammad Dingyadi confirmed the meeting ended without resolution but expressed optimism that progress could be made in subsequent talks.

“The issue is that we have not been able to reach a final agreement on this matter because we had a stalemate and we’re trying to resolve the issues, but it was getting late and most of them were on their way to leave us this night. So, we had to call off the thing till tomorrow,” he said.

He urged both sides to return to the table in good faith: “Both parties have tried to listen to us, and they have tried to cooperate to the best of their ability, but you know, as negotiation is, there are always issues that people cannot agree to. But we believe that by tomorrow, we should be able to sort out these issues by the grace of God.”

Meanwhile, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) declared solidarity with NUPENG.

In a statement, Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, general secretary of PENGASSAN, said resistance to unionisation at the refinery would no longer be tolerated.

“On behalf of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), we are writing to express our unwavering solidarity with our ally and sister union, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), in their ongoing efforts to secure the rights of tanker drivers who are currently being hired at the Dangote Refinery,” he said.

Okugbawa accused the refinery management of resisting union membership since inception despite several interventions.

“We wish to put on record that Dangote refinery management has been resisting potential members of both PENGASSAN and NUPENG from joining the Association since its inception. All diplomatic efforts to persuade the company’s management have so far not yielded the desired result,” he said.

He warned that the denial of workers’ rights could trigger wider industrial unrest.

“Should the ongoing situation persist without a resolution, PENGASSAN will be left with no option but to join in shutting down the refinery operations as a last resort to protect our members’ rights and interests,” the union said.

Both NUPENG and PENGASSAN have vowed to escalate the strike if the Dangote Group fails to recognise workers’ right to unionise.