Talks between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery collapsed last night, leaving the union’s demand for staff unionisation unresolved.
NUPENG said it would press ahead with its nationwide industrial action, which has already disrupted fuel supply across several states due to the shutdown of filling stations.
The deadlock has triggered wider solidarity within the petroleum sector. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the Natural Oil & Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) have all declared support for NUPENG by joining the strike.
At the centre of the dispute is the refinery’s decision to recruit thousands of drivers for its new fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks under conditions that allegedly bar them from joining existing trade unions.
NUPENG insists the move is a violation of workers’ rights and warned that the strike would continue until Dangote Refinery allows staff unionisation.
