The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has escalated its support for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in a bitter dispute with the Dangote Refinery, placing all affiliate unions on “immediate and full alert” and directing them to prepare for a nationwide industrial showdown.
In a statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the $20 billion conglomerate of operating as a “state within a state,” systematically violating Nigerian labor laws and international conventions through union-busting and worker exploitation.
The rift, which erupted last week, centers on PENGASSAN’s claims that the Dangote Refinery illegally dismissed over 800 Nigerian workers—allegedly in retaliation for their efforts to unionize—replacing them with foreign nationals in breach of Section 40 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining.
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On Monday, PENGASSAN members intensified their protest by barricading the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja, chanting solidarity slogans and demanding immediate reinstatement of the sacked workers.
Ajaero described the conflict as “a symptom of a deeper sickness; a capitalist pathology of union-busting, worker enslavement, and gross impunity that defines the Group’s industrial relations strategy.”
He lambasted the Dangote Group’s facilities as “plantations of exploitation, where the dignity of the worker is systematically crushed to maximise profit for the few,” adding, “The blood and sweat of Nigerian workers built this conglomerate; we will not let it become a monument to their oppression.”
The NLC leader warned of “regulatory capture,” accusing the state of failing to hold the powerful conglomerate accountable, and declared, “The time for pleading and endless, fruitless dialogue is over.
The moment for decisive, collective action is now.”In a four-point directive to affiliates, the NLC ordered total mobilization of unions and workers, immediate commencement of vigorous unionization drives across all Dangote facilities under their purview, and full preparations for a “full-scale, decisive engagement” nationwide.
The core demands include: unconditional respect for workers’ rights to freely join unions of their choice; an immediate halt to all intimidation, victimization, and anti-union activities; and full submission to Nigeria’s labor laws and institutions.
Each affiliate must establish an Action Mobilisation Committee and report to the NLC national secretariat within 72 hours to synchronize strategy, logistics, and communication, with Ajaero stressing that “unity of purpose and collective resolve are non-negotiable.”
The standoff threatens broader disruptions in Nigeria’s energy sector, as the Dangote Refinery—Africa’s largest single-train facility with a 650,000-barrels-per-day capacity—plays a pivotal role in curbing fuel imports and stabilizing supplies since commencing full operations earlier this year.
PENGASSAN’s actions have already halted crude and gas supplies to the plant, raising fears of fuel shortages amid ongoing economic pressures like inflation above 20%.
The NLC’s involvement amplifies the crisis, potentially drawing in other unions like the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and extending protests to Dangote’s cement, sugar, and other subsidiaries.
Neither the Dangote Group nor federal government officials have issued public responses to the latest escalation, though the Ministry of Labour and Employment has previously called for dialogue.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja granted an interim injunction last week restraining PENGASSAN from further disruptions, but the union has vowed to challenge it legally while pursuing negotiations.