Dangote, PENGASSAN face-off: NECA warns of risks to jobs, investments
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By Victor Ahiuma-Young, LAGOS
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, has raised alarm over the ongoing action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, warning that it constitutes self-help and amounts to economic sabotage capable of derailing Nigeria’s fragile economic recovery.
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NECA, in a statement issued in Lagos by its Director-General, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, called on the Minister of Labour and Employment to urgently intervene. He stressed that the dispute, if left unchecked, could have far-reaching consequences for job creation, investment promotion, and national development.
According to the statement: “Conflict is an inevitable feature of the labour ecosystem, and Nigeria has statutory and institutional frameworks designed to address any disputes, including the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
“Any action capable of discouraging investment, undermining enterprises sustainability, or harming the workers that the unions claim to protect will be counter-productive. While trade unions have the legitimate right to embark on industrial action, such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
“It is unacceptable for any union to conscript or coerce those not interested in its action or disrupt the operations of legitimate businesses not party to the dispute. Treating Institutions of labour administration with disdain and resorting to self-help is not only absurd but also against all known Conventions and Recommendations.
“When employers or workers are aggrieved, there are Institutions created to adjudicate or arbitrate in such matters. Nigeria’s recovering economy cannot be sacrificed on the altar of actions and pronouncements that are alien to global and local industrial relations practice.
“Uninformed and disruptive actions that could jeopardise the nation’s economic survival are neither envisaged nor acceptable in global labour practice. NECA will not be a passive onlooker as the foundation of Nigeria’s labour ecosystem is trampled upon.
“While we acknowledge the right to strike, such rights cannot infringe on the rights of others or threaten the survival of enterprises.”
Citing international labour instruments, including ILO Conventions 87 and 98, the NECA boss reaffirmed the association’s commitment to global labour standards, decent work, and responsible business conduct, while insisting that the protection afforded to union officials under international conventions does not extend to sabotage, coercion, or actions that undermine legitimate businesses or threaten national security.
Calling on the Minister of Labour and Employment to act decisively, Oyerinde stated: “With Nigeria sending one of the highest delegations to the ILO Conference annually, it is curious that basic industrial relations principles, Conventions, and Recommendations remain poorly applied.”
He urged that the dispute be resolved through lawful and constructive dialogue, warning that failure to act decisively could endanger economic sustainability, job creation and preservation, investment attraction and promotion, as well as national development.
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