The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its affiliates nationwide to mobilise in support of the strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals.
The directive, contained in an internal memo signed by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in Abuja, followed allegations of unfair labour practices and the dismissal of 800 workers by the company.
According to the memo, the dispute between PENGASSAN, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group has now become “a broader fight for workers’ rights across the country.”
“This letter serves as a formal and urgent request in response to the protracted and deliberate anti-worker crusade being waged by the Dangote Group against the Nigerian working class,” Ajaero stated.
He accused the company of union-busting, intimidation, and repeated violations of Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98.
“Their facilities are not workplaces but plantations of exploitation, where the dignity of the worker is systematically crushed to maximise profit for the few,” Ajaero declared.
The congress directed all affiliates to establish Action Mobilisation Committees within 72 hours and to commence a comprehensive unionisation drive across all Dangote facilities nationwide.
Ajaero stressed that the objective of the campaign was to compel the conglomerate to respect workers’ rights to unionise, end alleged intimidation, and comply with Nigeria’s labour laws.
“The impunity of the Dangote Group must be met with the resistance of organised labour. The blood and sweat of Nigerian workers built this conglomerate. We will not let it become a monument to their oppression,” the NLC president said.
