PENGASSAN to Suspend Strike After FG Brokers Truce With Dangote Refinery

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has agreed to suspend its nationwide strike after the Federal Government intervened in its dispute with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

The decision followed a two-day conciliation meeting in Abuja, chaired by Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Muhammad Maigari-Dingyadi, and attended by the National Security Adviser, Ministers of Finance, Budget, and State for Petroleum (Gas), as well as officials of the DSS and union leaders.

According to a communiqué issued Tuesday, the meeting resolved that:

• Unionisation is a fundamental right of Nigerian workers and must be respected by the refinery’s management.
• Dangote Group must redeploy dismissed workers into other subsidiaries without loss of pay.
• No worker will be victimised for taking part in the dispute.

PENGASSAN, in turn, committed to calling off its strike, with both parties pledging to implement the resolutions in good faith.

The strike had been declared on Sunday after reports of the dismissal of Nigerian workers at the refinery. PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, had accused the company of violating labour laws and international conventions.

Meanwhile, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) warned that the confrontation between labour unions, petroleum marketers, and the refinery posed a grave risk to investor confidence. Its DG, Segun Ajayi, described the standoff as “unconscionable,” stressing that no investor would commit billions of dollars only to face repeated industrial disputes.