- Labour unions should be more patriotic in handling industrial relations
The tendency of workers in the oil sector to go on strike with the aim of forcing government to meet their demands has reached an absurd level. The recent industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) was ridiculous and illogical.
At the root of the strike was a very local dispute between the chapter of the union in Neconde Energy Limited, an indigenous oil company, and the management of the firm. The company had terminated the appointment of Babatunde Animashaun who was the union chairman at the company over alleged unacceptable practices. Attempts by the national secretariat of PENGASSAN to get the company to rescind the decision were fruitless, leading to an appeal to government to prevail on the company.
When the efforts yielded no fruit, the union then resorted to a nationwide strike. Coming at a point when there was fuel scarcity in the country, it further compounded the shortage, with motorists resorting to panic buying and the filling stations hoarding the product with a view to making maximum profit.
To say the least, the action by PENGASSAN was unpatriotic and indefensible. Citizens are expected to put the national interest first. There would always be disputes between companies and their staff. It is no reason to seek to paralyse activities in a key sector of the economy like the petroleum and natural gas sector. The PENGASSAN, being a union of senior staff in the sector, could paralyse both production and distribution of petroleum products.
We commend government’s action in stepping into the matter to forestall what could have developed into a crisis. Both PENGASSAN and NUPENG have, in the past, often resorted to striking at the heart of the economy, thus inflicting undue pain on the innocent citizens.
The fuel scarcity in the country affected many Nigerians who had planned to travel during the Christmas season. Those who managed to do so had to pay higher transport fares.
The strike was really an abuse of process. Whoever seeks equity should come with clean hands. The union wants to have its way at all times, irrespective of the procedure it chooses to adopt. It appears the government is hamstrung when faced with such troubles. It is therefore left for the people to take on the oil unions, and cut them down to size.
The labour movement in Nigeria appears to have forgotten that the philosophy of labour is production. A look at the history of the Nigerian labour movement would show that the founding fathers were patriots and progressives. They worked and fought for the society. In the colonial period, men like Michael Imoudu, Wahab Goodluck, Eyo Esua and Hassan Sunmonu did not just fight for the workers’ interest, but realised that the future of the country must be guaranteed for workers to thrive. It is testimony to the patriotism of the pioneers that, for instance, when the Osun State Government and workers were at loggerheads recently, it required the intervention of a veteran like Sunmonu who was invited to broker a truce.
We call on the Nigerian Labour Congress to call the affiliates to order because a union can only thrive when there is harmony. We also call on the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour, to promptly attend to matters relating to industrial peace and harmony, however immature and reckless the unions may be sometimes. As the country crawls out of recession, Nigerians from all walks of life should appreciate that this time calls for level-headedness.
