Dangote Petroleum Refinery has launched a blistering attack on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), accusing them of prioritising union dues and personal enrichment over workers’ welfare.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the refinery dismissed fresh strike threats by the unions, describing the TUC as “zombie-like” for aligning itself with PENGASSAN without verifying the claims on which its position was based.
“We are told that he who hears only from one side and passes judgment without hearing the other side is a fool.
“Unfortunately, the Trade Union Congress has placed itself in that position. Without hearing from Dangote Refinery, the Congress has passed a guilty verdict on the refinery’s management and now parrots the PENGASSAN line, zombie-like,” the statement read.
The company argued that both PENGASSAN and TUC are driven by financial motives, particularly the pursuit of check-off dues, mandatory deductions from workers’ salaries for union funding.
Dangote Refinery cited a recent interview granted by PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, on Channels Television, where he admitted that the union demanded dues from the refinery barely a day after workers allegedly unionised.
“If we must believe Mr Osifo’s account, and Dangote Refinery is not thereby admitting the accuracy of his account, the PENGASSAN oligarchs could not even wait for 24 hours before demanding monthly check-off dues.
“And on account of these dues, PENGASSAN and its collaborators – one of whom revealed itself as the Trade Union Congress, are ready to plunge Nigeria into utter darkness and anarchy,” the refinery said.
The refinery accused the unions of being run by “oligarchs” whose concern is not the welfare of workers but their own lavish lifestyles.
It alleged that neither PENGASSAN, TUC, nor allied groups such as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had provided accountability for the funds collected from workers.
“None of these unions bother to give an account to their members and the Nigerian public of these monthly check-off dues.
“We only see proof of these payments in their lavish and opulent lifestyles. It is time Nigerians stood up against these enemies of progress,” it stated.
Reiterating its position, Dangote Refinery stressed that the unions’ interests are self-serving, saying: “PENGASSAN and TUC are two peas in a pod. Their interests do not extend beyond themselves and the oligarchs that run their affairs.
“The monthly check-off dues and other subscriptions and scams that feed their lifestyles are their primary concern.”
The company further warned that the unions’ threats amounted to attempts at industrial sabotage that could jeopardise Nigeria’s fragile energy security.
It called on the Federal Government to resist what it described as attempts by union leaders to drag the country back to the dark ages.
“Dangote Refinery is a national asset that requires our collective protection and prayers.
“To paraphrase the TUC press release, TUC and its cohorts, regardless of size or wealth, must not be allowed to trample on the dignity and rights of 230 million Nigerians,” the statement read.
The refinery also issued a direct challenge to the unions, demanding transparency and accountability in their finances.
“Finally, we demand that TUC join its co-travellers, PENGASSAN and NUPENG, in publishing its 10-year audited accounts.
“Surely, the workers in whose name they purport to be working deserve to know what the unions have been doing with their monthly check-off dues,” it declared.
#DangoteRefinery #PENGASSAN #TUC #NUPENG #LabourUnions #WorkersWelfare #CheckOffDues #EnergySecurity #Nigeria #TheNewsAcceleratorNetwork
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