The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has warned that the industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) poses a risk to enterprise survival and economic security.
In reaction to PENGASSAN instructing its members on Monday to begin an immediate nationwide strike over the dismissal of “over 800 workers” by Dangote refinery, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, NECA’s director-general (DG), in a statement on Tuesday, said the action amounts to self-help and is tantamount to “economic sabotage capable of derailing the country’s fragile economic recovery”.
The DG said trade unions must exercise their right to protest and strike responsibly, within legal boundaries, and in a manner that does not harm enterprises or workers’ long-term interests.
“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),” he said.
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“Any action capable of discouraging investment, undermining enterprise 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.
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“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.”
Citing international labour instruments, including ILO Conventions 87 and 98, the DG reaffirmed NECA’s commitment to upholding global labour standards, decent work, and responsible business conduct, while not negotiating employers’ rights to manage their enterprises and investments within the ambit of the law.
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He stressed 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.
The DG called on Muhammadu Dingyadi, the minister of labour and employment, to act decisively by stopping the “wanton and wilful denigration of Nigeria’s industrial relations system”.
