Take It Back (TIB) Movement Stands With PENGASSAN and NUPENG, Demands Immediate Recall of Sacked Workers.

PRESS STATEMENT

Take It Back (TIB) Movement Stands With PENGASSAN and NUPENG, Demands Immediate Recall of Sacked Workers.

The Take It Back Movement, TIB, strongly condemns the mass dismissal of workers at the Dangote Refinery less than 24 hours after over 90% of them exercised their fundamental right to join the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

This brazen act of lawlessness disguised as “total re-organisation,” is nothing but a calculated attempt to intimidate workers and suppress their constitutional right to freedom of association and collective bargaining as guaranteed under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the Trade Union Act, and international labour conventions ratified by Nigeria.

It is appalling that while workers gave their sweat and expertise to the Dangote Refinery project, the company has chosen to repay their commitment with mass retrenchment simply because they chose to unionise.

Such actions not only deepen the atmosphere of hostility in the oil and gas sector but also set a dangerous precedent for industrial relations in Nigeria.

We stand firmly with PENGASSAN and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in their just struggle to defend workers’ rights at the Dangote Refinery.

No employer, no matter how wealthy or powerful, should be allowed to trample on the dignity of Nigerian workers.

The TIB Movement hereby:

1. Demands the immediate, and unconditional reinstatement of all sacked workers.
2. Calls on the Federal Government and the Ministry of Labour to intervene decisively in ensuring that Dangote Refinery complies with Nigerian labour laws and international standards.
3. We declare our unflinching solidarity with the union as it embarks on strike to press home its demands.
4. Warns that continued attacks on workers’ rights in Nigeria will be met with nationwide resistance from progressive forces, civil society organisations, and the wider labour movement.

The right of workers to organise is non-negotiable. An injury to one worker is an injury to all.

Solidarity forever!

Signed,
Sanyaolu Juwon
National Coordinator
Take It Back (TIB) Movement