After two days of intense conciliation meetings, the Federal Government has successfully brokered an agreement between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The conciliatory meetings at the instance of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, had become necessary following the PENGASSAN’s directive to members to stop gas supply to Dangote Petroleum Refinery and withdrawal their services over what was described as the unlawful termination of over 800 of its members by the refinery’s management.
But the Dangote Group, in its defense, told the meeting that the disengagement was purely a product of an ongoing reorganization exercise within the company.
The conciliation was attended by high-ranking officials of government including the National Security Adviser; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS); Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, representing the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas); as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Also present were the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), alongside representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the President and Secretary-General of PENGASSAN.
At the meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi stressed that no employer has the authority to deny the right of workers to unionise or undermine this constitutional guarantee.
“Unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and this right should be respected.”
After hours of back-and-forth negotiations, It was finally agreed that the Dangote Group would immediately commence the process of redeploying the disengaged workers to other companies within the conglomerate without any loss of pay.
The government further assured that no worker would suffer victimisation for their role in the dispute, while PENGASSAN committed to initiating the process of calling off the strike.
A communique signed by all parties reads; “Whereas the leadership of PENGASSAN said that the directives given to stop the supply of gas to Dangote Petroleum and withdrawal of services was 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 disengagement of the workers was as a result of the ongoing reorganization in the company.
“After a lengthy discussion, the matter was resolved as follows: 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. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith.”
