Africa’s largest petroleum refinery, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, is set to recall staff it recently disengaged following allegations of sabotage within the facility—a development that sparked protests by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The refinery’s decision to lay off over 800 workers was strongly opposed by the union, which directed its members to halt crude oil supplies to the refinery in protest.
After days of accusations and counter-accusations—including a lawsuit filed by Dangote Refinery against the union—the Federal Government has successfully brokered peace between both parties.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the resolution of the dispute between PENGASSAN and the refinery.
According to him, the disengaged workers will be recalled and redeployed without any loss of pay.
He said:“After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately begin the process of redeploying the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay.
“No worker will be victimised for their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.”
The minister further noted that both sides had reached a compromise, explaining that PENGASSAN had agreed to begin the process of calling off its strike.
“Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith,” he added.
He also stressed that unionisation is the right of every worker under Nigerian law, and that this right must be respected.
The conciliation meetings followed a breakdown in earlier talks between the refinery’s management and PENGASSAN, which had ended in a deadlock on Monday.
The dispute began after PENGASSAN raised concerns over what it described as mass transfers and dismissals of union members by Dangote Refinery’s management.
The union also accused the company of replacing Nigerian staff with foreign workers, arguing that such actions violated labour laws and undermined local employment rights.
The refinery’s management, however, denied these claims, insisting that the workforce reorganisation was based on operational requirements and not union-related.
The standoff escalated when PENGASSAN took industrial action by halting gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery, sparking fears of potential disruptions to Nigeria’s energy supply and economic stability.
The Federal Government intervened, citing the risk of “adverse effects on the economy and energy security,” and convened high-level talks to resolve the impasse.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
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