By JOAN NWAGWU

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has warned that the ongoing industrial action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) could amount to economic sabotage.

NECA’s Director-General, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, made this known in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, expressing concern about the potential economic impact of the union’s ongoing strike.

Oyerinde stated that while trade unions had the right to protest and strike, such rights must be exercised responsibly, within legal boundaries, and without harming enterprises or workers’ long-term interests.

“Disputes should be resolved through statutory institutions like the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN),” he said.

According to him, coercing unwilling parties or disrupting lawful business operations contradicts international labour conventions and poses serious risks to enterprise survival and national security.

He stressed that disruptive actions that threatened national interest were unacceptable in modern labour relations, and NECA would not remain silent as Nigeria’s labour framework faced erosion.

Oyerinde reaffirmed NECA’s commitment to upholding global labour standards and promoting decent work but warned that such standards did not legitimize sabotage, coercion, or economic harm by unions.

He said Nigeria’s fragile economic recovery should not be endangered by reckless industrial actions that risked scaring off investors and ultimately harming the very workers unions claimed to protect.

Oyerinde urged the Minister of Labour and Employment, along with other relevant authorities, to act swiftly, warning that delays could damage job creation, investment flows, and national economic stability. (NAN)