Dangote Refinery: Civic groups threaten court action against NUPENG over ‘coercive tactics’
A coalition of civil society organizations, CSOs, has backed Dangote Petroleum Refinery in its dispute with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, over workers’ rights to join trade unions.
The CSOs threatened a court action against NUPENG over what they described as “economic terrorism” and coercive tactics employed by the oil and gas workers union.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, the CSOs coalition, comprising the Civil Rights Defenders Advocates, Citizens for Economic Justice, Nigeria Freedom Network, and others, vowed to pursue legal action against any party infringing on workers’ rights and called on relevant authorities to investigate NUPENG’s alleged backers.
Convener of the coalition, Dr. Agabi Emmanuel, accused NUPENG of violating constitutional freedoms by pressuring refinery workers, including truck drivers, to join the union under threats of blockades and intimidation.
Condemning the alleged ‘coercive’ strategy adopted by NUPENG, Emmanuel declared, “This is not unionism; it is extortion dressed in the garb of workers’ rights.”
He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects the right to freely associate or abstain from unions.
The coalition highlighted NUPENG’s reported actions, such as obstructing non-union workers from loading fuel and affixing seals on trucks to assert control, as breaches of the Trade Unions Act and Trade Disputes Act.
The CSOs lauded Dangote Refinery for upholding voluntarism and ensuring a safe working environment, contrasting it with NUPENG’s “strong-arm tactics” that they said sabotage Nigeria’s energy security.
Emmanuel warned that the coalition would file lawsuits if Dangote or any entity forces workers into union membership, emphasizing that “the right to choose is non-negotiable”.
The CSOs, in the same vein, urged the Department of State Services, DSS, to investigate NUPENG’s sponsors, as well as allegations of high-profile intimidation involving the Navy and helicopter flyovers.
“Any individual or group found complicit must face prosecution for economic terrorism,” Emmanuel stressed, noting that Dangote Refinery is a “cornerstone of Nigeria’s energy security”.
The statement concluded with a call to the Federal Government, civil society, and international labor bodies to denounce NUPENG’s “economic blackmail” and support industrial harmony.
“The Nigerian people have had enough,” Dr. Emmanuel said. “We will not tolerate any group holding our nation to ransom.”
