The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, has explained the decision to use the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja for the meeting between Dangote Refinery officials and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Speaking to Vanguard after the meeting on Tuesday, Dingyadi explained that the meeting was held at the DSS office to have a different environment, adding that it also allowed the Minister of Finance to be in attendance.
As earlier reported by Naija News, NUPENG, at the end of the meeting, announced the suspension of its ongoing nationwide strike over its dispute with the Dangote Group.
Also, NUPENG announced at the end of the meeting that the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association (DTCDA) established by the management of Dangote refinery has been disbanded.
This was disclosed by NUPENG president, Comrade Williams Akporeha, who added that other contentious issues were resolved.
He confirmed that the ongoing strike has also been suspended based on agreements reached at Tuesday’s meeting between the stakeholders, and tankers have started loading petroleum products.
He said, “We signed agreement and members have agreed to unionisation of workers in Dangote Petrochemical refinery.”
On the allegation that officials of Dangote Refinery walked out of Monday’s meeting and behaved unruly, Akporeha said the Dangote Refinery denied such behaviour.
According to him, the Dangote official said he had to step out to eat as he was dealing with an ulcer.
He said, “They said they didn’t walk out. The man (Dangote refinery representative) said he was hungry and has ulcer, so he had to go and eat, that there was nothing like he walk out.”
Explaining why the issues couldn’t be resolved on Monday, the NUPENG president said there were clauses they failed to agree upon, but everything has now been resolved in Tuesday’s meeting.
“They tried to bring in some clauses. They didn’t agree on our own input while we did not also agree on their input but today we have been able to harmonize that and we have signed.”
Highlighting some of the clauses in contention, he said the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association introduced by the Dangote Group has now been dissolved, adding that the government already declared the union as illegal.
“They brought in this DTCDA (Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association) which they don’t have right to do and we have also said that going forward, they shouldn’t force any union on the workers, the management should not create any union for the workers.”
“The DTCDA is a new Union formed by the management of Dangote refinery for its workers, but the NUPENG boss said that it has been agreed that it should be disbanded, adding that the Ministry of Labour had already declared it an illegal organization,” he said.
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