After two days of intense negotiations, the Federal Government on Tuesday brokered peace between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery over the controversial sack of more than 800 workers.
The industrial dispute, which threatened to cripple operations at Africa’s largest refinery, followed PENGASSAN’s directive to members to halt gas supply and withdraw services in protest against what it described as the “unlawful termination of employment” of its members by the Dangote Group.
But the company defended the disengagement exercise, insisting it was part of an ongoing organisational restructuring.
The Federal Government swiftly waded into the crisis, convening a conciliation meeting led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the high-level session had in attendance the National Security Adviser, Ministers of Finance and Petroleum, heads of NNPC Ltd, NUPRC, NMDPRA, the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and PENGASSAN.
It was further gathered that at the meeting, Dingyadi reaffirmed government’s commitment to protecting workers’ rights, stressing that “the right of employees to unionise is guaranteed by Nigerian law and no employer has the authority to undermine it.”
After hours of deliberations, a truce was reached. Both parties signed a joint communiqué which provided that the affected workers would be redeployed to other Dangote subsidiaries without loss of pay or entitlements. It also guaranteed that no employee would face victimisation over the dispute.
In return, PENGASSAN pledged to begin the process of calling off the strike and restoring industrial peace at the refinery.
“The resolution affirms respect for workers’ rights, redeployment of affected staff, and the restoration of harmony between both parties,” the communiqué stated.
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