AfriPulse
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has demanded that the management of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery reinstate more than 800 workers dismissed over a unionisation dispute and issue a public apology.
TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, made the call on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, stressing that the refinery violated the constitutional rights of the affected workers .
“We demand the reversal of the arbitrary dismissal of over 800 workers by Dangote. If that is done, the next thing that we demand is a public apology from the Dangote Refinery Management, with an assurance that such won’t be used against the union in the future,” Toro said.
Union Rights at the Centre of Dispute
The controversy began after the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), an affiliate of the TUC, accused the refinery of sacking workers who had joined the union.
The move prompted PENGASSAN to declare a nationwide strike on Monday, paralysing operations at key oil and gas regulatory institutions.
Toro criticised the refinery’s management for failing to address what he described as the “substantial matter”—workers’ right to freely join unions of their choice.
“Unionisation is a right, and workers in Dangote have the right to belong to a union of their choice. In these circumstances, the workers have indicated that they want to belong to PENGASSAN, and they signed our forms,” he said.
He also recalled a September 8 meeting at the Ministry of Labour, where both TUC and PENGASSAN were represented, accusing Dangote of breaching a previous agreement not to victimise any worker.
Allegations of Double Standards
Toro went further to accuse the refinery of treating Nigerian staff unfairly compared to Indian expatriates, despite enjoying massive state support and goodwill.
“Even more disturbing is the monopoly and double standard of Dangote, who enjoys massive state support, protection, and a lot of goodwill from this government. The same organisation turns around to deny Nigerians of their fundamental rights, while extending preferential treatment to expatriates, the Indians who we all know work within the same organisation. This is nothing but a show of economic oppression in modern-day slavery,” he said.
He described the mass sackings as “oppression” and vowed that both TUC and PENGASSAN would resist any attempt to deny workers their fundamental rights.
Toro urged Dangote to reinstate the dismissed workers and commit to respecting union rights.
“Dangote should allow the workers to belong to the union of their choice. He should respect the rights of the over 800 workers and reinstate them; the unions are also ready to shift grounds in the interest of Nigerians,” Toro stated.
He added that union members are patriotic Nigerians who must not be subjected to “slave labour” practices, warning that labour would not back down in defending workers’ constitutional rights.
Source: Gistreel | Read the Full Story…
