The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Monday lambasted former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, over his remarks on the ongoing industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Refinery.
Oshiomhole, during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, had criticised the strike declared by PENGASSAN to protest the alleged dismissal of over 800 refinery workers, describing it as “hasty and unfair to other workers.”
“I think that in seeking to protect a particular set of workers, you do not then risk the jobs of several other workers. When you are pursuing a dispute, the tools you deploy must be such that they do not undermine other people’s jobs,” Oshiomhole said.
But in a swift response, NUPENG, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, condemned Oshiomhole’s comments as “a betrayal of the working class struggle” and “a complete distortion of Nigerian labour law.”
“We witness with utter disappointment a former labour leader now transformed into a vocal advocate for corporate oppression, actively campaigning against the very rights he once championed.
“His attempts to rationalise the victimisation of workers for exercising their fundamental rights of association and peaceful action are not only nauseating but represent a flagrant misrepresentation of Nigerian Labour Law and ILO standards,” the statement partly read.
In the statement titled “Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole’s Undistinguished Anti-Worker Vitriol,” NUPENG accused the senator of “historical revisionism and political amnesia.”
The union also faulted him for ignoring the mass sack of 800 engineers while choosing to attack the strike action instead.
“Section 31 of the Trade Unions Act, Cap T14, LFN 2004, legally recognises trade disputes, including industrial actions undertaken by workers in sympathy with another group.
“PENGASSAN’s solidarity action with their members in Dangote Refinery is therefore a protected legal action. The principle that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’ is the foundational ethic of trade unionism globally,” NUPENG stated.
Describing Oshiomhole’s position as “a dangerous toxin designed to weaken the resolve of the working class and strengthen the class enemy,” the union likened him to “the Judas Iscariot of Nigerian trade unionism.”
“Shockingly, this was a man who served several times in the Governing Council of ILO and in the Committee on Application of Standards that receives reports on violations of workers’ rights across the world.
“It is unfortunate that Senator Adams Oshiomhole has, by his comments, demonstrated a monumental ignorance of trade unionism,” the statement added.
Declaring him persona non grata within the oil and gas sector, NUPENG announced that it would no longer participate in any labour-related event featuring the senator.
“In conclusion, the leadership of NUPENG hereby declares Senator Adams Oshiomhole persona non grata within the ranks of Nigerian oil and gas workers. Henceforth, we will not participate in or lend legitimacy to any event featuring Senator Oshiomhole. The NLC, TUC, and civil society organisations should take notice,” the statement said.
The union reaffirmed its solidarity with PENGASSAN and vowed to pursue justice for the affected workers using “every legal and industrial instrument available in compliance with Nigerian law and global labour standards.”