You can’t silence Labour in democracy, NUPENG tells NASS

…Demands repeal of anti-worker laws, just vigor transition

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

ABUJA — The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has declared that nary ideology tin thrive wherever workers’ voices are suppressed, informing that attempts to undermine commercialized national rights successful the nation’s lipid and state manufacture are unconstitutional and unacceptable.
The national made the declaration successful a memorandum to the House of Representatives Committee connected Petroleum Resources (Downstream) during the Annual Downstream Petroleum Week Conference astatine the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
Presenting the Union’s position, its General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, NUPENG reminded lawmakers that Nigeria’s ideology was partially achieved done the historical struggles of commercialized unions specified arsenic NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, against subject dictatorship.
It warned that the aforesaid antiauthoritarian values indispensable present beryllium utilized to support the rights of workers who prolong the nation’s vigor sector.
“Let it not beryllium forgotten that NUPENG and PENGASSAN played a historical relation successful restoring Nigeria’s democracy. That aforesaid antiauthoritarian tone indispensable present support the rights of workers who support the nation’s vigor assemblage alive,” the national told the lawmakers.
NUPENG peculiarly expressed interest implicit what it described arsenic an emerging anti-union posture astatine the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company, pursuing the refinery’s caller declaration that nary commercialized national would beryllium allowed to signifier recently recruited drivers for its Compressed Natural Gas, CNG-powered trucks.
According to the union, specified a argumentation violates some Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and planetary labour conventions ratified by Nigeria, particularly ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which warrant workers’ rights to freely subordinate and bargain collectively.“We commend Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his patriotic concern successful the refinery. But we powerfully cull immoderate effort to prohibit unionization. No business, nary substance however strategic, tin run extracurricular the bounds of the law.
“What would hap to thousands of existing motortruck drivers and NUPENG members who person served the manufacture for decades, informing that vigor modulation indispensable not go an excuse for excluding workers from the benefits of concern growth.“Energy modulation indispensable beforehand fairness and inclusive growth. It cannot and indispensable not exclude workers,” the connection stressed.
The national besides called connected the National Assembly to repeal the Petroleum Production and Distribution (Anti-Sabotage) Act, describing it arsenic a “draconian” portion of authorities that criminalizes morganatic concern actions and threatens the close to peaceful protest.
According to NUPENG, “the continued beingness of specified laws undermines concern ideology and creates an ambiance of fearfulness among workers successful a supposedly antiauthoritarian society.
“Retaining this Act is unsafe to democracy. It treats peaceful protestation and onslaught enactment arsenic sabotage and indispensable truthful beryllium abrogated.”

In its submission, NUPENG demanded contiguous designation of some NUPENG and PENGASSAN arsenic the lone statutory unions for inferior and elder lipid and state workers, stressing that specified designation indispensable beryllium a precondition for operational licensing wrong the sector.
The national urged lawmakers to fortify existing laws to enforce workers’ rights arsenic recognised successful the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act, and judicial precedents specified arsenic Nestoil PLC v. NUPENG (2012) and Executive Chairman, SUBEB v. NASU (2021) — which affirmed that national designation is automatic unless a idiosyncratic formally opts out.
NUPENG further urged the national authorities and legislators to enforce the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Decent Work Agenda, compelling each employers and contractors successful the lipid and state assemblage to comply with cardinal principles covering corporate bargaining, minimum wages, societal security, and harmless moving conditions.“Compliance with these standards indispensable beryllium a precondition for the cognition of immoderate institution wrong Nigeria’s lipid and state industry,” the national emphasised.
The Union reaffirmed its unwavering committedness to defending the rights of Nigerian workers, stressing that ideology without societal justness and labour state is hollow.
It added “You cannot...