The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its affiliate unions to begin mobilisation for a potential nationwide strike over the ongoing dispute with Dangote Refinery. In a memo signed on Monday, NLC president Joe Ajaero accused the refinery of breaching Nigeria’s labour laws, the constitution, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions by sacking workers for union membership.
The dispute stems from the refinery’s dismissal of over 800 employees, an action that has triggered protests from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Ajaero condemned the move, describing Dangote facilities as “plantations of exploitation” where workers’ rights are routinely undermined to boost profits. He further characterised the conflict as a “capitalist pathology of union-busting, worker enslavement, and gross impunity.”
According to the directive, affiliate unions are to form mobilisation committees and coordinate with the NLC secretariat within 72 hours while intensifying unionisation campaigns across all Dangote facilities. Meanwhile, the federal government has called for a conciliatory meeting to prevent escalation, even as the refinery insists the layoffs were part of a reorganisation exercise affecting only a limited number of staff.
#NLC #DangoteRefinery #StrikeAction #LabourRights #PENGASSAN
