Public Affairs Analyst, Femi Lawson, has criticised the Dangote Refinery over the recent disengagement of approximately 800 workers, describing the move as abrupt, irresponsible, and a violation of fundamental labour rights.
Lawson while speaking in reaction to the ongoing controversy surrounding the mass layoff, during TVC Breakfast Show on Monday, September 29, condemned the manner in which the affected workers were notified—many reportedly learning of their dismissal through news reports and social media as they prepared for work.
“Some of these workers were already on their way to the office, others were still at home when they discovered they had been laid off, Lawson said.
The disengagement, which has sparked industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has been linked to allegations that the workers were targeted for their association with the union—an action Lawson describes as “deeply unfair.”
Read Also
“Let’s be clear: the right to freely associate, including union membership, is constitutionally guaranteed in Nigeria. There’s no evidence that these employees were coerced into joining PENGASSAN, yet they’re being punished for exercising their rights,” he added.
READ ALSO: FG To Engage Pengassan, Dangote Over Strike
While acknowledging that labour unions, including PENGASSAN, are not without fault, Lawson insisted that the spotlight must remain on corporate accountability, particularly when large private sector employers are involved.
Lawson said: “You must understand that PENGASSAN just like every other Labour union are not infallible, the truth is that corporations in Nigeria, particularly the private sector need to begin to act in responsible manners because a lot of people may not know what it is for a company to put 800 people out of jobs while they were in their sleeps in their various homes. Some where even close to getting to their offices before they read on social media or in the news that they have been laid off. As much as you want to say that the Labour Union need to reconsider it’s terms, it is also important to also call out a corporation as big as Dangote Indstries laying off about 800 people over frivolous issues as their rights to freely associate which is a constitutional guaranteed right. I’m not sure that there has been any time that these workers were forced into joining the union, which seems like the reason Dangote has laid them off. It is very unfair that as much as we want to call out PENGASSAN for declaring a strike, we must also tell it to the face of Dangote Refinery that ‘ do you know what it means to throw 800 bread winners of 800 families into the labour market overnight?’.”
