A meeting between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and the management of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery ended in a deadlock. The reconciliation session, convened by the Federal Government to resolve the lingering industrial dispute, began at 4 p.m. on Monday and lasted about nine hours into the early hours of Tuesday. Both the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, were present.
The meeting was called to address unresolved labor issues between PENGASSAN and the Dangote refinery. However, the stalemate led to a decision to reconvene at 2 p.m. on Tuesday in order to break the impasse. PENGASSAN members, led by President Festus Osifo, and some representatives of the refinery’s management attended the session in the conference room of the Minister of Labour and Employment.
The union and the private refinery are at loggerheads over several matters, most notably the alleged illegal dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers by the refinery’s management. In response, PENGASSAN members barricaded the premises of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja, following directives from its national executive committee for a nationwide industrial action. Union members blocked the gate, gathered at the NNPCL office and at the offices of oil and gas regulators, and sang solidarity songs. Similar blockades occurred at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), where union members also sealed the entrances.
PENGASSAN accuses the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by dismissing workers for joining the association. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, in a statement, said that a recent reorganisation—resulting in the dismissals—was intended to prevent intermittent sabotage, address safety concerns, and improve operational efficiency. Despite this explanation, the union remains unsatisfied, and the industrial action continues.
The deadlock in the reconciliation meeting and the ongoing nationwide strike underscore the urgent need for a resolution to the labour dispute between PENGASSAN and the Dangote refinery. The outcomes of the Tuesday meeting will be crucial in determining the future of the dispute.
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