Dangote Refinery Accuses Oil Workers’ Unions of Evading Court Order
…PENGASSAN Pursuing Self-Interest
By Patience Ikpeme
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has accused leaders of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) of evading service of a court order restraining them from embarking on industrial action against the company.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, George Ibrahim of Ogwu James Onoja Law Firm, had argued the application on behalf of the refinery and secured the restraining order on Monday.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Emmanuel Danjuma Subilim held that the balance of convenience was in favour of Dangote Refinery, noting that a strike would cause irreparable damage to its business and cripple the provision of essential services to the Nigerian public.
He ruled that restraining the defendants was in the interest of justice, as it would preserve industrial peace and sustain the supply of critical services pending the determination of the substantive suit. The court also ordered that the restraining order and motion on notice be served on the defendants.
However, lead counsel to Dangote Refinery, James Onoja (SAN), said efforts to serve the order were unsuccessful as the defendants claimed to be on strike. The court specifically barred the defendants from cutting crude and gas supply to the refinery or obstructing its operations.
The order also prohibited any industrial action aimed at crippling the refinery, blocking roads, shutting down its operations, or frustrating its activities in any manner, pending the resolution of the motion on notice.
In a related development, Dangote Refinery issued a strongly worded statement on Monday, accusing PENGASSAN and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of prioritising union dues over workers’ welfare.
The refinery described the TUC as “zombie-like” for declaring solidarity with PENGASSAN and threatening nationwide strike action without, according to the company, verifying the basis of the union’s claims.
“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, calling ‘for a national industrial action if Dangote management fails to comply with’ its demands,” the statement read.
The company accused the unions of being motivated by financial gains, citing comments by PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo in a Channels Television interview where he confirmed that the union had written to Dangote Refinery demanding remittance of dues 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 after the purported unionisation before demanding for their monthly check-off dues. And on account of these monthly check-off dues, PENGASSAN and its collaborators and co-conspirators—one of whom revealed itself as Trade Union Congress—are ready to plunge Nigeria and Nigerians into utter darkness and anarchy,” the company alleged.
It further accused PENGASSAN, TUC, and allied unions such as NUPENG of failing to account for funds collected from workers while allegedly living “lavish and opulent lifestyles.”
“Meanwhile, none of these Unions—PENGASSAN, TUC, NUPENG and its other unnamed co-travellers—bothers to give an account to their members and the Nigerian public of these monthly check-off dues. We only see the proof of these check-off dues’ payments in their lavish and opulent lifestyles. It is time Nigerians stood up against these enemies of progress,” the statement added.
Dangote Refinery urged the Federal Government to resist what it described as attempts by labour leaders to sabotage energy security and industrial peace.
“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 company declared.
Challenging the unions to greater transparency, the refinery demanded that TUC publish its financial records. “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 all purport to be working, deserve to know what the Unions have been doing with their monthly check-off dues,” the statement said.
