In a major breakthrough, the Federal Government has successfully resolved the standoff between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, leading to the suspension of the union’s strike action and the redeployment of disengaged workers.
The resolution followed a series of high-level conciliatory meetings convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, after PENGASSAN had directed its members to halt gas supplies and withdraw services over what it described as the “unlawful termination” of more than 800 workers at the refinery.
At the end of the negotiations, a joint communiqué signed by all parties reaffirmed that unionisation is a fundamental right of workers under Nigerian law and must be respected.
After a review of the disengagement process, it was agreed that the Dangote Group will immediately begin redeploying the affected employees to other companies within the conglomerate without any loss of pay.
The communique further clarified that while PENGASSAN’s industrial action was triggered by the mass termination of its members, the refinery’s management explained that the disengagement resulted from an ongoing organisational restructuring exercise.
Key resolutions reached included:
Redeployment of affected staff to other Dangote Group subsidiaries with no financial loss.
Assurance of non-victimisation of workers involved in the dispute.
Commitment by PENGASSAN to initiate the process of calling off the strike.
“This understanding was reached in good faith by both parties,” the communiqué stated.
The peace talks drew attendance from top-ranking government officials, including the National Security Adviser; the Ministers of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning; the Minister of State for Labour and Employment; the Director-General of the DSS; the Director-General of the NIA; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas).
Also present were the chief executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and PENGASSAN’s President and Secretary-General.
With this resolution, the government has not only averted a prolonged shutdown of operations at Africa’s largest refinery but also reinforced its commitment to protecting workers’ rights while safeguarding national economic stability.
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