TUC Demands Apology, Reinstatement of 800 Sacked Dangote Workers
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has demanded the reinstatement of over 800 workers dismissed by the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery over a unionisation dispute, insisting that the refinery must also tender a public apology.
TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, accused the refinery of violating the constitutional rights of the sacked employees.
“The Dangote and PENGASSAN rift concerns the TUC because PENGASSAN is an affiliate of the TUC, and there is no way they can beat your child, and the father stays aloof.
“Even the last meeting that was held on the 8th of September at the Ministry of Labour office, both PENGASSAN and the TUC were represented.
“We demand the reversal of the arbitrary dismissal of over 800 workers by Dangote. If that is done, the next thing that we demand is a public apology from the Dangote Refinery Management, with an assurance that such won’t be used against the union in the future,” he said.
The dismissal of workers had triggered a nationwide strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, which paralysed operations in key oil and gas institutions on Monday.
Dangote management, however, denied sacking workers en masse, accusing the union of sabotage.
But Toro insisted the core issue was workers’ right to unionise.
“In some of the commentaries flying around, Dangote has refused to address the substantial matter here, which is the violation of workers’ right to belong to any union of their choice.
“What Dangote simply did was to give us a bad name. The first thing he did was to violate the agreement we both signed, arising from the previous intervention, that no worker was going to be victimised.
“Unionisation is a right, and workers in Dangote have the right to belong to a union of their choice. In these circumstances, the workers have indicated that they want to belong to PENGASSAN, and they signed our forms.
“For Dangote to react, he has to hide under the guise of sabotage, which is debatable in my opinion, because by the time you say sabotage, you must be able to substantiate and provide evidence of who who are sabotaging,” said Toro.
He further accused the refinery of double standards.
“Even more disturbing is the monopoly and double standard of Dangote, who enjoys massive state support, protection, and a lot of goodwill from this government. The same organisation turns around to deny Nigerians of their fundamental rights, while extending preferential treatment to expatriates, the Indians who we all know work within the same organisation.
“This is nothing but a show of economic oppression in modern-day slavery, and this is not acceptable to the TUC and even PENGASSAN.
“Dangote should allow the workers to belong to the union of their choice. He should respect the rights of the over 800 workers and reinstate them; the unions are also ready to shift grounds in the interest of Nigerians.
“Don’t forget that we are also Nigerians, and nobody in Nigeria is more patriotic than the workers who toil to create the wealth that is used to develop this nation.
“So when I listen to commentaries about the free trade zones and people not being patriotic, it is laughable. Onne is a free trade zone, and workers in ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies in Onne are members of unions,” he added.
Toro described the sackings as oppression and warned against what he called slave labour practices. He urged Dangote to reinstate the workers and respect their right to unionise.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
