The standoff in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector appears to be over after the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) reached a truce with Dangote Refinery, leading to the suspension of its two-day industrial action.
The breakthrough followed marathon meetings held on Monday and Tuesday involving the Federal Government, PENGASSAN, and the management of Dangote Refinery.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, reminded all parties during the talks that Nigerian law guarantees workers the right to unionise, stressing that such rights must be respected.
A joint communique issued after the meeting outlined three key resolutions:
-
Reabsorption of Workers: Dangote Group will immediately begin reintegrating the disengaged staff into other companies within the conglomerate, ensuring no loss of pay.
-
No Victimisation: Both sides agreed that no employee would suffer reprisals for their role in the dispute.
-
Strike Suspension: PENGASSAN confirmed it would start the process of officially calling off the strike.
The union had on Sunday directed its members to halt crude oil and gas supply to Dangote Refinery following allegations that the company dismissed hundreds of workers for joining the association.
With this resolution, operations in the oil and gas sector are expected to stabilise as the parties move forward on the basis of mutual understanding.
