The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria have asked President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders to intervene in the dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Dangote Refinery.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress, while also calling for urgent intervention in the stand-off, accused the Dangote refinery of anti-labour practices.
The Dispute
This comes after NUPENG said on Friday that it would begin industrial action on Monday, September 8.
The dispute revolves around Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s plan to import 4,000 compressed natural gas-powered trucks for direct fuel distribution to retailers.
Although the scheme, scheduled to begin on August 15, was delayed by logistics challenges in China, the refinery said it would kick off once a substantial number of the trucks arrived.
But in a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, on Friday, NUPENG accused the Dangote Refinery of anti-labour practices that threatened the livelihoods of its Petroleum and Tanker Drivers branch members.
The union lamented that the refinery’s owner, Aliko Dangote, had insisted that new drivers for the imported trucks would not be allowed to join any union.
It described the decision as an affront on freedom of association guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution, and a breach of international labour conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.
NUPENG recalled that it had held several meetings, alongside the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, to persuade Dangote to reconsider.
However, its appeals were allegedly ignored.
Matters escalated last Friday when MRS, owned by Dangote’s cousin, Sayyu Aliu Dantata, reportedly began recruiting drivers for the CNG trucks, compelling them to sign undertakings not to belong to any oil and gas union.
The union said it could not stand by while jobs were being eroded.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the IPMAN National President, Abubakar Maigandi, said oil marketers were working towards reconciling the parties and would continue the engagement on Monday.
He said, “We are still appealing to the NUPENG members and Dangote to see how they can reconcile their differences.
“I cannot really say what the implication of the tanker drivers’ strike may be for now. We can only appeal to them to make peace with the other party.
“With work resuming fully on Monday, we will see how we can talk to the tanker drivers. I am sure we will then really hear what is going on.”
NLC backs strike
In a statement on Saturday, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said Labour had examined NUPENG’s petition and described the Dangote Group’s practices as “crude and dangerous.”
