The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Chapter, has urged Dangote Industries Ltd. to allow its employees to join workers’ unions to ensure the protection of their rights.
The Chairperson of the NLC Lagos State Chapter, Mrs Funmi Sesi, made the appeal during a tour of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Plant by members of the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria and officials of the NLC Lagos State Chapter on Tuesday.
Sesi said that unionisation would help in organising workers and addressing their concerns, adding that it would also assist employers in improving operations.
“On behalf of NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, we want to say: Dangote, please give us a chance to unionise your workers,” Sesi said.
She also urged the company to employ more indigenes from its host communities.
The labour leader stated that labour law stipulates that 70 per cent of a workforce should come from an organisation’s catchment area, with the remaining 30 per cent allowed to be expatriates.
Also Read: NLC Calls for Naira Crude Sales to Dangote Refinery
Responding, Mr Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Ltd., said the company was committed to training and employing members of its host communities.
Edwin said the company already has a well-established training centre at Obajana in Kogi State. He added that there were plans to establish another training centre in Lagos State.
He noted that the Dangote Group had become a nurturing ground for Nigerian engineers, scientists, and technicians, many of whom have gone on to work as expatriates in various countries.
Edwin assured the labour leader of the company’s commitment to human capital development, staff welfare, and the overall wellbeing of the economy.
“We have to ensure that the host communities are happy; otherwise, we will not be able to work.
“If someone is interested in their business, their first focus will be to ensure that the host communities are happy,” he said.
According to him, the company employs 22 per cent of its workforce from its host communities, 50 per cent from the state, and the rest from other parts of the country.
