Dangote, NUPENG face-off: ITUC-Africa warns of Africa-wide mobilisation over anti-union practices

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has declared steadfast solidarity with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, successful their absorption to what it described arsenic the “persistent anti-union and anti-worker practices” of the Dangote Group.
In a connection signed by its General Secretary, Akhator Odigie, and issued from its office successful Lome, Togo, connected September 8, 2025, ITUC-Africa warned that it is connected reddish alert for Africa-wide mobilisation should Dangote persist successful undermining workers’ rights.
According to the organisation, “The Dangote Group’s continued union-busting, casualisation, unsafe moving conditions, and wage suppression are a blatant usurpation of: ILO Convention 87 (Freedom of Association), ILO Convention 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining), ILO Convention 155 (Occupational Safety and Health), and Nigeria’s Constitution (Section 40) and Labour Act.”
ITUC-Africa described these practices arsenic not lone an battle connected Nigerian workers but besides a continental menace that sets “a unsafe precedent of firm monopoly undermining labour rights crossed Africa.”
The continental labour assemblage demanded: contiguous cessation of anti-union practices by the Dangote Group, urgent unionisation of each workers crossed Dangote operations, national authorities of Nigeria to authorisation and enforce compliance with labour laws, and African determination bodies, including the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to clasp corporations accountable nether the Decent Work Agenda and the AU’s Agenda 2063.
Sounding a enactment of warning, Odigie said: “This connection is besides to officially enactment the Dangote Group and different African Conglomerates and Multinational Enterprises doing concern successful Africa connected announcement that ITUC-Africa, unneurotic with its affiliates successful the African countries wherever these businesses operate, volition treble down connected ensuring that they respect rights astatine work. We are connected reddish alert for continental mobilisation against this persistent anti-union posture of the Dangote Group.”
The labour radical affirmed its readiness to enactment successful solidarity with Nigerian workers if the alleged anti-labour posture persists.
“ITUC-Africa volition mobilise continental solidarity actions should the Dangote Group persist successful its violations. We affirm that an wounded to 1 is an wounded to all,” the connection read.
The informing comes amid increasing labour tensions successful Nigeria, wherever NUPENG and others , including the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), person already threatened strikes implicit Dangote’s alleged anti-union stance.

The station Dangote, NUPENG face-off: ITUC-Africa warns of Africa-wide mobilisation implicit anti-union practices appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.