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PENGASSAN agrees to halt shutdown after Abuja talks
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FG insists workers’ right to unionise must be protected
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Dangote Group told to redeploy sacked staff without pay loss
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is set to call off its nationwide strike after the Federal Government brokered peace in the raging dispute with the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The breakthrough came at the end of a two-day conciliation meeting in Abuja, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari-Dingyadi, and attended by the National Security Adviser, the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, State for Petroleum (Gas), alongside the Department of State Services (DSS) and labour leaders.
In a communiqué signed by Dr. Maigari-Dingyadi, parties agreed that unionisation is a fundamental right protected under Nigerian law and must be respected by the company.
“No worker shall be victimised for participating in the dispute,” the resolution stated, adding that the refinery must redeploy the affected staff into other subsidiaries without any loss of pay.
Union Concedes
Following the agreement, PENGASSAN confirmed it would commence the process of suspending its strike, while pledging to work with management to implement the truce in good faith.
READ ALSO: Dangote Refinery hits back at TUC, PENGASSAN over strike threats
The decision comes just days after PENGASSAN directed its members nationwide to halt gas supply and withdraw services from the refinery, accusing management of illegal dismissal of Nigerian workers.
Backlash and Warnings
Earlier, the association’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, had condemned the refinery’s actions as a breach of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) also weighed in, warning that the escalating face-off posed a “grave threat to investor confidence.” Its Director-General, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, described the unions’ approach as “unconscionable,” likening it to “vultures gathering to devour what should be a jewel of Nigerian manufacturing.”
What’s Next
Both parties have now pledged to implement the resolutions promptly, but observers say the dispute underscores persistent tensions between Nigeria’s labour unions and emerging mega-industrial ventures such as the Dangote Refinery, which is central to the country’s energy security.
