The face-off between organised labour and the management of a frontline refinery deepened on Tuesday as the company accused the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and its allies of seeking to undermine the dignity of over 230 million Nigerians with their actions.
In a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES, the refinery berated TUC and its affiliate unions, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), for allegedly weaponising industrial power to the detriment of national interest.
The company insisted that unions, “regardless of size or wealth,” must not be allowed to trample on the rights of Nigerians under the guise of protecting workers.
Challenging the credibility and transparency of the labour bodies, the refinery threw down the gauntlet, demanding that the unions make public their financial dealings.
“Finally, we demand that TUC join its co-travellers, PENGASSAN and NUPENG, in publishing its 10-year audited accounts,” the statement read.
“Surely, the workers in whose name they all purport to be working deserve to know what the unions have been doing with their monthly check-off dues.”
The refinery argued that accountability should not be a one-sided demand, stressing that those who hold others to ethical standards must themselves embrace transparency.
The confrontation is the latest twist in the protracted tussle between organised labour and key players in the energy sector, raising concerns about the fragile relationship between corporate operators and workers’ representatives in Nigeria.
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