Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana (SAN), has reaffirmed that Nigerian workers have a constitutional and international right to unionise and embark on strike actions when necessary.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, Falana described recent attempts to discredit labour unions as “legally baseless and morally irresponsible.”
Citing Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, he said workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining are fully protected under the law.
Falana’s remarks follow a recent standoff between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery over alleged anti-labour practices, which triggered a nationwide strike threat before government intervention.
“The two strikes were avoidable,” Falana said. “When workers are forced to strike over issues settled since the colonial era, the blame lies with the government.”
He stressed that unions have been part of Nigeria’s history since 1912 and dismissed claims that organised labour threatens national security or economic stability.
“What happened was that some workers were sacked and redeployed. By law, once you are a junior employee, you are automatically entitled to union representation,” he clarified.
Falana noted that strikes often occur because employers and the government fail to negotiate in good faith, adding that “strikes are the last resort when workers’ rights are disrespected—it’s not about sabotage, it’s about justice.”
Responding to claims that union leaders exploit their positions, he said: “I don’t know any union leader who is a billionaire. Unions like PENGASSAN and NUPENG are responsible bodies that only strike after exhausting all legal channels.”
He urged both government and employers to see unions as partners in national development, not enemies.
“To allow unionisation is to engage meaningfully with workers. They are stakeholders whose labour sustains the economy,” he said.
Falana concluded that labour rights are integral to Nigeria’s democracy and cannot be suppressed.
“It is too late in the day to say there should be no unions in Nigeria. Labour rights are not mere formalities—they are constitutional guarantees,” he declared.
