PENGASSAN suspends strike as Dangote Refinery agrees to recall workers

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its strike after reaching an agreement with the Dangote Refinery to recall more than 800 workers dismissed in September.

The agreement followed talks in Abuja facilitated by the federal government. The meetings, which began on Monday at the Ministry of Labour and Employment and later moved to the Office of the National Security Adviser, ended early Wednesday with a signed resolution.

According to the communique, “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.”

The statement also reaffirmed that “unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.”

Labour Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, who chaired the session, told reporters the resolution was reached in good faith. “Unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that right must be respected,” he said, urging both parties to “maintain peace and ensure smooth operations in the oil and gas sector.”

PENGASSAN leaders confirmed the suspension of the strike and the withdrawal of directives that had halted services at key oil and gas installations nationwide.

Lumumba Okugbawa, the union’s secretary general, said the decision was taken after the refinery agreed to reverse the sackings. “We are satisfied that the rights of our members will be respected and that there will be no loss of pay,” he said.

No comment from Dangote

The Dangote Group, represented at the talks by senior executives, did not immediately comment on the deal, but had earlier described the layoffs as part of an internal reorganisation. In a previous statement, the refinery said, “This exercise is not arbitrary. It has become necessary to safeguard the refinery from repeated acts of sabotage that have raised safety concerns and affected operational efficiency.”

The dispute began when PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of terminating the contracts of more than 800 Nigerian workers who had recently joined the union. The union responded by declaring a nationwide strike and blocking gas supply to the $20 billion refinery, one of Nigeria’s most strategic energy facilities.

The strike had disrupted operations at agencies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), raising fears of a wider fuel shortage.

With the agreement now in place, both sides said they would work to ensure stability in the sector.