Dangote Refinery, PENGASSAN End Standoff as Sacked Workers Set for Reabsorption

The industrial tension in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector has eased following an agreement between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery to end a two-day standoff.

The truce was reached after a series of meetings held on Monday and Tuesday involving the Federal Government, PENGASSAN, and the refinery’s management.

As part of the agreement, Dangote Refinery committed to reabsorb workers earlier dismissed for joining the union, while PENGASSAN agreed to suspend its industrial action.

In his remarks during the meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, emphasized that the rights of workers to freely unionise under Nigerian law must be respected.

A joint communique issued after the deliberations highlighted three major resolutions:

• Reabsorption of Workers: Dangote Group will begin reabsorbing the affected staff into its subsidiaries without any loss of pay.
• No Victimisation: Both parties agreed that no worker would be penalised for their role in the dispute.
• Suspension of Strike: PENGASSAN confirmed it would initiate the process of calling off its strike.

The union had, on Sunday, directed its members to cut crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery after some workers were allegedly dismissed for voluntarily joining PENGASSAN.

The resolution signals a major relief for the industry, bringing to an end a dispute that had threatened operations at Africa’s largest refinery.