The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called off its nationwide strike over a dispute with the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery. This comes after the Federal Government brokered an agreement between PEMGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery management at a meeting on Tuesday. PENGASSAN had embarked on a nationwide strike …
PENGASSAN Calls off Strike after FG Brokered Agreement With Dangote
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called off its nationwide strike over a dispute with the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
This comes after the Federal Government brokered an agreement between PEMGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery management at a meeting on Tuesday.
PENGASSAN had embarked on a nationwide strike on Sunday over the disengagement of 800 Nigerian workers by the management of Dangote Refinery last week. The union described the action as unjust, asserting that the workers do not deserve such treatment because they decided to unionise, which is their constitutional right.
PENGASSAN leadership directed its members to stop gas supply to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and also withdraw their services nationwide. They demanded immediate reinstatement of the affected workers.
At a reconciliatory meeting chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, the Federal Government called on the parties in dispute to shift grounds and align for the greater good of the country and the economy.
READ ALSO: Nigeria May Lose N14.7bn Daily From Dangote PENGASSAN Row
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, National Security Adviser, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources represented the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas). Also present were the chief executives of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), representatives of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and PENGASSAN’s President and Secretary-General.
According to a communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by all parties at the meeting, the minister of labour stressed that unionisation was a right of workers in line with provisions of the Nigerian constitution and other labour laws in the country and should be respected by employers and all other stakeholders.
READ ALSO: Dangote Refinery: PENGASSAN, NUPENG Actions Threaten National Security – Expert
The communiqué stated that it was agreed that Dangote Group should immediately begin the process of transferring disengaged employees to other companies within the Dangote Group with no loss of pay. It said the resolution was made after reviewing the process adopted in the disengagement of the workers.
“Whereas the leadership of PENGASSAN said that the directives given to stop the supply of gas to Dangote Petroleum and withdrawal of services were in response to the termination of appointment of over eight hundred members of PENGASSAN by the management of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical, on the other hand, explained the reason for the disengagement of the workers was as a result of the ongoing reorganisation in the company,” part of the communiqué read.
The communiqué further said it resolved that no worker shall be victimised for their role in the conflict between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
“The Honourable Minister of Labour informed the meeting that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.
“After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay.
“No worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
“PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike.”
The communiqué concluded that both parties agreed to the resolutions reached.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in mass communication.
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