The Federal Government’s effort to stop a looming strike in the oil sector suffered a setback on Monday after leaders of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers’ Union (NUPENG) failed to attend a peace meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, called by Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi, was meant to settle the union’s clash with the Dangote Group over the company’s reported ban on union activities.
By 2:30pm, journalists waiting at the Labour Ministry’s conference room in Abuja confirmed that the talks had not started, even though they were scheduled for 10am. Officials said NUPENG representatives were still in Lagos, coordinating plans for the strike they had already announced.
Government had on Sunday appealed to NUPENG to shelve the planned nationwide strike, insisting it was already working to resolve the disagreement.
It also urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to hold back on its “red alert” to other unions to prepare for solidarity action.
The dispute centers on Dangote Group’s policy against unionisation, which NUPENG says is a direct attack on workers’ rights.
The union insists no oil worker should operate at the Dangote refinery without being allowed to join a union.
“This is not how to handle sensitive labour matters,” a labour source told reporters. “Government knew about the planned strike for a long time but only called a meeting at the last minute. That’s why things are this messy.”
Another source hinted that even if NUPENG officials were to attend, it might not be immediately. “You can’t expect them to fly into Abuja today and rush into a meeting without first meeting with NLC leadership,” the source added.
