NUPENG VS DANGOTE: CDWR CALLS ON NLC TO LAUNCH A NATIONAL STRUGGLE AGAINST CASUALISATION AND PERSECUTION OF LABOUR ACTIVISTS

NO TO ‘YELLOW UNION’ FORMED BY DANGOTE; WORKERS SHOULD BE FREE TO JOIN UNION OF THEIR CHOICE

We stand in solidarity with the NLC and NUPENG in their fight for workers’ rights

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) declares its full solidarity with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in their fight against anti-labour and anti-union practices by the Dangote Group. We commend the NLC for standing firmly with NUPENG by supporting its planned protest action against the Dangote Group. This step is important not just for oil and gas workers but for all Nigerian workers facing increasing exploitation and denial of rights.

The CDWR condemns Dangote’s refusal to allow its tanker drivers and other workers to join a union of their choice. Dangote has always violated the rights of workers to join union in its companies and sometimes violently attacked and put down democratically elected union leadership just like the Dangote Pasta management did on August 10, 2010 when it attacked the union leadership, sacked 250 workers and forced other workers to undertake not to join the Food Union. Dangote’s insistence to form a ‘Yellow Union’ (i.e. a management controlled union) is undemocratic and unlawful. Dangote Group cannot dictate to Nigerian workers which union to join or belong. Similar with cement, Dangote’s determination to entrench a monopoly is being replicated in the petroleum industry and therefore eventually determines prices at will.

However, the struggle against Dangote is only one expression of a much deeper and more widespread problem of anti-labour practices. Casualisation, contract staffing, outsourcing, and indecent work conditions have now become the dominant features of employment relations in Nigeria’s private and public sectors. These practices are deliberately designed to deny workers their rights to job security, decent wages, pension, and unionization while guaranteeing huge profit for the capitalist. It is for this reason that the CDWR strongly urges the NLC to broaden the scope of the solidarity action into a nationwide campaign against casualisation and all forms of anti-labour practices.

Such a campaign must demand an end to casualisation and contract staffing in all sectors, insisting on the absorption of casual workers into permanent employment with full benefits and protections. It must equally defend the right to unionize without victimization and call for an end to the persecution of labour activists. A glaring example is the case of Comrade Abbey Trotsky, Oyo State Coordinator of the CDWR, who has been subjected to continuous trial for over five years simply because of the active support of the CDWR gave to the struggle of workers of Sumal Foods Ibadan against casualisation in 2018. This injustice must end immediately!

We also urge the NLC to establish anti-casualisation committees across all states and sectors with the aim of uniting workers, exposing the exploitative practices of employers, and organizing collective resistance. Alongside this, there is a need for mass campaigns and actions, including protests, rallies, and public sensitization, to force both the government and employers to end these exploitative practices once and for all.

The CDWR believes that if the NLC boldly takes up this task, it can rally millions of workers and unemployed youth around a programme to defend and extend workers’ rights. This can also begin to rebuild the confidence of the working class in its collective power to challenge capitalist exploitation. Therefore, CDWR reaffirms its solidarity with the NLC, NUPENG, and all workers in struggle. A united fight against casualisation and anti-union practices will not only defend the rights of workers today but also help lay the foundation for a just society where the wealth created by workers benefits the majority and not a few billionaires.

The struggle  against casualisation should also be linked with the struggle against deregulation of the oil and gas industry and the complete takeover by the private companies like Dangote, Shell, Chevron etc., which is a major factor for high price of petroleum products and attack on democratic rights of workers. Therefore, we call on NUPENG and NLC to oppose deregulation and privatization and other neo-liberal policies, and demand turnaround of the existing public refineries and building of new public refineries and be placed under democratic control of workers.

An injury to one is an injury to all. Casualisation and other anti-labour practices must end now! The right to freely join the union must be respected!!

Comrade Rufus Olusesan

National Coordinator

Comrade Chinedu Bosah

National Publicity Secretary

E-mail: [email protected]