Nigeria may be plunged into another round of fuel scarcity as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has directed its members to stop loading petroleum products from Monday, September 8, in protest against alleged anti-labour practices at the Dangote Refinery.
In a statement issued on Friday, jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG accused the management of Dangote Refinery, led by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, of policies inimical to the survival and livelihoods of its members under the Petroleum and Tanker Drivers Branch.
The union expressed outrage over Dangote’s reported position that drivers to be recruited for the operation of the refinery’s 10,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks would not be allowed to join any trade union.
NUPENG described the stance as a direct violation of the constitutional right to freedom of association, as well as international labour conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.
The statement read in part: “We call on the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Authority to invoke its powers under Section 32(u) & (aa) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). The Authority is empowered to promote competition and private sector participation in petroleum operations, and to investigate and prevent abuse of dominant positions and restrictive business practices.”
The union reminded the Federal Government that Nigeria ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 87 of 1948 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise as far back as October 17, 1960. It noted that, by virtue of Section 254C (2) of the 1999 Constitution, ratified ILO conventions form part of Nigeria’s constitutional provisions, and any attempt by employers to deprive workers of union rights amounts to a breach of the law.
Calling on the Federal Government, regulatory agencies, and the Nigerian public to intervene, NUPENG urged Dangote to immediately reverse the policy.
“By this statement, we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies, including well-meaning segments of the Nigerian society, to call the two trillionaire businessmen to order. They should be told to obey the laws of Nigeria. If they persist in their anti-union tyrannical attitudes, NUPENG is set and ready to mobilise its forces to fight within the framework of the law,” the union declared.
The threat of strike action has raised fresh concerns of nationwide fuel shortages, with memories of previous industrial actions by tanker drivers still fresh in the minds of Nigerians already grappling with high energy costs.
