NUPENG commences strike as peace meeting with Dangote ends in deadlock
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has failed to reach an agreement with Dangote Refinery over their demand to unionize the company’s staff in a meeting convened by the Federal Government that lasted till 11pm yesterday.
Consequently, NUPENG said it will continue with the nationwide industrial action, which had already impacted some states, following the shutdown of filling stations in several parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Natural Oil & Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) announced that they were joining the strike action in solidarity with NUPENG.
NUPENG is currently locked in a major dispute with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, over the company’s decision to recruit thousands of drivers for its new fleet of compressed natural gas-powered trucks under a condition it says bars them from belonging to any existing trade union.
In the same vein, the downstream oil workers have argued that if Dangote is allowed to massively import and put his trucks into operation, many of its members will be thrown into the labour market or rendered redundant.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have also threatened to mobilize their members across the country to join the strike in solidarity with NUPENG if matters were not amicably resolved.
At the reconciliatory meeting brokered by the federal government on Monday both Dangote and NUPENG negotiating teams failed to reach any agreement.
While the Dangote team agreed to allow some categories of the staff to join the union, NUPENG insisted that all workers must be given a chance to register with industry unions.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting that lasted till 11 pm last night, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, said that there was no deal, while expressing hope of further talks today.
“The issue is that we have not been able to reach a final agreement on this matter because we had a stalemate and we are trying to resolve the issues but it was getting late and we had to call off the meeting.
“We are confident that maybe by tomorrow (today) we will be able to resolve these issues. I want to appeal to everybody to please maintain the peace. By the grace of God, by tomorrow we will be able to get both parties to be able to agree on something that will ensure the strike is called off,” Dingyadi stated.
The President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, said the union was opposed to any attempt to monopolize the resources of the country and use them as an instrument of enslavement of the people, insisting that the union’s action was for the interest of the country.
“We cannot stand to see an investor whose main purpose is to enslave Nigerians. It cannot take us back to the dark days of slavery. Nigerians have wished him so well than for him to enslave them.
“So, it’s unfortunate that at this point in time we are having an investor whose main purpose is to say that there can’t be a union in the establishment. He wants to monopolize the whole system and even the workers, but we say it can’t happen during our time,” he said.
The Head of Information and Publicity of the NLC, Mr. Benson Upah, accused the representative of Dangote group of arrogance for walking out on the minister and organized labour.
“So, there was no agreement. Even when we bent backwards to his uncompromising behaviour. So, we were left with no option than to continue with our strike action,” he said.
On whether there is a possibility for another dialogue to resolve the impasse, Benson said it was not only in the hands of organised labour to decide, as they were ready as soon as Dangote Refinery group changes their mind.
Source: ThisDay
