A LEFT-ORIENTED civil society body, Socialist Labour, has thrown its full weight behind ongoing industrial strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), demanding the immediate reinstatement of 800 Nigerian workers allegedly terminated for unionising.
The nationwide strike, which commenced on Monday after the Dangote Refinery, owned by billionaire industrialist, Aliko Dangote, announced a corporate “reorganisation” that resulted in the mass dismissal of hundreds of employees.
According to a statement from Socialist Labour, jointly signed by Dr James Vanhoro and Dr Izielen Agbon, this move came directly after the workers exercised their fundamental human right to free association by joining PENGASSAN.
“Workers, in Nigeria and internationally, have a right to join unions. But that right, as with all rights, is only meaningful when we can exercise it without repercussion,” the statement declared, labelling the terminations as an illegal act of retaliation that violates both the Nigerian constitution and international labour standards.
The statement paints a stark picture of the power dynamics at play, arguing that a billionaire capitalist like Dangote is driven solely by the motive to enrich himself by paying workers as little as possible while demanding maximum work.
“He will try to get rid of any worker who refuses to become a modern-day slave for his enrichment,” the group asserted, framing the workers’ decision to unionise as a necessary act of self-defence.
“Alone, we are all powerless against a billionaire like Dangote. Together, the ordinary person who joins a union is now part of a family more powerful than Dangote, his billionaire friends, and all the corrupt politicians put together,” the statement read.
The group alleges that Dangote’s ultimate goal is to create a “slave camp where his workers have no voice or right to collectively defend their employment rights.” They further accuse the management of Dangote Petroleum of falsely labelling the 800 workers as “saboteurs” to justify their dismissal, a claim they vehemently deny.
“These workers are people we know; they are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and our neighbours… They are not saboteurs,” the statement insists, highlighting that the workers are community members who risk their lives daily to keep fuel flowing for the nation.
The statement backs PENGASSAN’s strike action as a strategic action in response to the firing of its members. “The ball is in Dangote’s court; he only has to do the needful,” Socialist Labour stated, as it also called on all Nigerian workers who depend on their labour to survive to see PENGASSAN’s actions as an inspiration.
“How would you feel if, whenever you work to improve your working conditions, you know that a family of thousands of people you have never met is at your back, supporting and defending you?” the statement asked rhetorically, stressing that the union is a vital shield against the “whims of the powerful.”
Socialist Labour, in a broader solidarity called, urged all trade unions, civil society organisations, and the Nigerian working public to rally behind PENGASSAN’s struggle, describing it as a critical battle to stop the exploitation of Nigerian workers by a profit-obsessed entity and to affirm that “Dangote is not above the law of the land and workers are not his slaves.”
