Updated: Sacked workers to be redeployed as PENGASSAN, Dangote finally reach agreement

Updated: Sacked workers to be redeployed as PENGASSAN, Dangote finally reach agreement

 

The Federal Government has successfully brokered a resolution between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery following a dispute over the termination of over 800 workers.

The agreement was formalised in a communiqué issued and signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, at the conclusion of a two-day conciliation meeting held on Monday and Tuesday.

Part of the resolutions is the immediate redeployment of the sacked workers to other Dangote Group subsidiaries.

The high-level talks included the National Security Adviser, the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), and representatives from key agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Labour leaders were also present.

The meeting was convened after PENGASSAN ordered its members to halt gas supply and withdraw services from the refinery in protest over the mass disengagement. The union accused Dangote Refinery of unfairly terminating the employment of hundreds of its members.

In response, Dangote Refinery cited an ongoing internal restructuring process as the reason for the layoffs.

Key resolutions from the meeting are:

Recognition of unionisation as a fundamental right protected by Nigerian labour laws.

Immediate redeployment of affected workers to other Dangote Group subsidiaries, with no loss of pay.

A commitment that no worker would face retaliation for their involvement in the industrial action.

PENGASSAN’s agreement to begin the process of ending the strike.

Both parties pledged to implement all resolutions in good faith to restore normalcy and foster improved industrial relations.