Dangote, NUPENG face-off: Lessons for stakeholders

1 month ago 12

By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

The caller quality between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and Dangote Refinery, whitethorn person ended for now, but the fallouts should supply captious lessons for stakeholders successful nation’s concern relations space, peculiarly connected unionisation, concern relations, and regularisation of law.

The struggle arose aft the Dangote absorption allegedly created the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association, DTCDA, a parallel drivers’ relation intended to enactment arsenic a substitute for NUPENG.

NUPENG condemned the determination arsenic illegal, asserting that it violated workers’ rights to unionise and prosecute successful corporate bargaining. The Ministry of Labour had earlier declared the DTCDA unlawful, affirming that lone NUPENG is legally recognised to correspond refinery employees.

The quality escalated erstwhile lipid workers embarked connected a strike, demanding designation of NUPENG and the disbandment of the DTCDA. The onslaught disrupted petroleum merchandise loading.

An statement was signed connected Tuesday astatine the Department of State Services (DSS) office successful Abuja, successful the beingness of the Minister of Finance and different officials. Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, said the DSS venue was deliberately chosen to supply a neutral and unafraid situation for negotiations.

Addressing journalists, Dingyadi remarked: “The involution of the Ministry was indispensable to support the rights of workers and guarantee compliance with Nigerian labour laws. No leader should interfere with the state of workers to articulation unions of their choice. We are satisfied that today’s result restores concern harmony and strengthens the regularisation of law.”

NUPENG President’s remarks

NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, confirmed that each contentious issues had been resolved.

“We signed the agreement, and members person agreed to the unionisation of workers astatine Dangote Petrochemical Refinery. The onslaught is called disconnected immediately, and tankers person resumed loading petroleum products,” helium said.

On earlier claims of a walkout by Dangote representatives, Akporeha clarified:

“They denied immoderate walkout. The typical near concisely owed to hunger and a aesculapian condition. There was nary ceremonial walkout. Monday night’s stalemate was owed to attempts by absorption to insert clauses we could not accept, but contiguous we person harmonised each issues and signed the agreement.”

He further emphasised the cardinal constituent of contention:

“The absorption had nary close to make the DTCDA. Going forward, nary national volition beryllium forced connected workers, and nary parallel national volition beryllium recognised. This is simply a large triumph for lawful unionisation and the rights of our members.”

Legal and International Context

The solution underscores the triumph of the regularisation of instrumentality successful concern relations, anchored successful some Nigerian labour authorities and planetary standards: Trade Unions Act, Cap T14, LFN 2004 guarantees workers’ rights to signifier and articulation unions of their choice, recognising lone legally registered unions.

Labour Act, 2004 protects employees’ rights to corporate bargaining, onslaught action, and just representation, empowering the Ministry of Labour to intervene successful disputes, Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 guarantees state of association

Similarly, conception 44 prohibits leader interference successful lawful associations.

Also, Internationally, Nigeria’s obligations nether International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions further reenforce the outcome: ILO Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association, 1948) ensures workers tin found and articulation unions freely without leader interference.

ILO Convention No. 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, 1949) protects workers against anti-union favoritism and guarantees corporate bargaining rights and the ILO Committee connected Freedom of Association Guidelines prohibit parallel unions oregon forced unionisation, reinforcing that employers indispensable recognise lone legally chosen unions.