NLC red alert over Dangote Refinery sackings raises strike threat as unions demand workers’ rights and compliance with labour laws

NLC red alert has been issued nationwide as the standoff between the Nigeria Labour Congress, Dangote Refinery, and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) escalates.

Also read: Dangote Refinery Faces Labour Crisis as Union Halts Supply

The dispute stems from PENGASSAN’s allegation that more than 800 Nigerian workers were arbitrarily dismissed for joining the union.

On Monday, union members enforced a directive of their national executive committee by barricading the Abuja headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, marking the beginning of industrial action.

In a strongly worded statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the Dangote Group of “gross impunity and union-busting,” describing its actions as a direct assault on workers’ rights and Nigeria’s labour laws.

“The Dangote Group has operated for too long as a state within a state, flouting Section 40 of our Constitution, violating ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and treating our national labour laws with contempt,” Ajaero declared.

He added that the company’s facilities resembled “plantations of exploitation” where profit was prioritised over workers’ dignity. According to him, the era of “fruitless dialogue” was over, as labour leaders prepared for full-scale confrontation.

The NLC has directed all affiliate unions to set up Action Mobilisation Committees within 72 hours and liaise with its secretariat. Their demands include unconditional respect for unionisation rights, an end to intimidation, and full compliance with labour laws.

Ajaero concluded with a warning: “The impunity of the Dangote Group must be met with the resistance of organised labour. The blood and sweat of Nigerian workers built this conglomerate; we will not let it become a monument to their oppression.”

Also read: Dangote Refinery Reorganises Workforce Over Sabotage

The NLC red alert signals an intensifying crisis, with the real possibility of a nationwide strike if the refinery and its parent conglomerate fail to engage in dialogue.