The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that the industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and the management of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has been resolved. The announcement was made in a communiqué signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, who stressed that unionisation is a legally protected right for workers in Nigeria and must be respected.
The conflict had resulted in the dismissal of more than 800 workers by the private refinery. The Minister assured that no worker would be victimised because of the dispute and that the Dangote Group would immediately begin transferring the displaced employees to other companies within the group, with no loss of pay.
The resolution was achieved after a conciliation meeting held at the office of the National Security Adviser. The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha. It followed a notice to stop gas supply to the refinery and the withdrawal of services by PENGASSAN, which had triggered a nationwide industrial action.
PENGASSAN and the refinery had been at odds over unresolved labour issues, notably unionisation and the mass sacking of workers. With the agreement, the Minister disclosed that PENGASSAN will commence the process of calling off the strike. The development is expected to bring relief to the affected workers, stabilise the petroleum industry, and mitigate concerns about the broader economic impact of the dispute. The Dangote Group will now reassign the workers, and the industrial action is set to end, marking a positive step toward industrial harmony in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
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