Our reporter/ The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have both expressed unwavering solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), in the ongoing face-off with the management of the Dangote Refinery.
NUPENG had announced a strike by its members in protest against alleged moves by the Dangote Refinery to prevent its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanker drivers from joining labour unions.
The union condemned what it described as a blatant anti-union stance by the Dangote Group, alleging that the company had barred newly recruited drivers for the company’s imported trucks from joining any labour union.
In a statement by its general secretary on Monday, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN accused the management of Dangote Refinery of resisting potential members of both PENGASSAN and NUPENG from joining the associations.
The statement warned that should the ongoing situation persist without a resolution, PENGASSAN will be left with no option but to join in shutting down operations at the refinery.
In a similar vein, the leadership of the TUC warned the management of Dangote Refinery to stop what it described as attack on workers.
A statement signed by the president and general secretary of the TUC vowed that the union will not fold arms while Dangote and its companies treat Nigerian workers as slaves in their own country.
The statement noted that failure to comply with their demands will attract total solidarity action from the Congress and its affiliates across the federation.
Efforts to address the situation led the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, to call for an emergency meeting in Abuja on Monday, with the hope of resolving the issues before they spiral.
The meeting is being led by Dingyadi, as well as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Present at the meeting are the national executives of NUPENG and officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Also present is the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ogbugo Ukoha, as well as representatives of the Dangote Group and MRS Petroleum.
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