By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA – THE Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has said that the Direct Trucking Company Drivers Association, DTCDA, established by the management of Dangote refinery, has been disbanded.
This is part of the agreement reached between the leadership of NUPENG, and the Dangote Petrochemical refinery representative before the suspension of the strike embarked upon by the former.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS in Abuja.
Speaking to Vanguard, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, said the choice of the DSS office was to have a different environment, adding that it afforded the opportunity for the Minister of Finance to be in attendance.
On his part, the President of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha, said all contentious issues were resolved.
He said: “We signed agreement and members have agreed to unionisation of workers in Dangote Petrochemical refinery.”
He said that the strike is to be called off immediately and that tankers have started loading petroleum products.
On the alleged uncompromising behaviour exhibited by the Dangote refinery representative, the NUPENG President said that the Dangote team denied anything of such.
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.”
Asked why the contentious issues were not resolved on Monday night meeting Akporeha said: “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: 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.
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