The standoff in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry appears to have been resolved following an agreement between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery to end the two-day industrial action.
The truce came after intense negotiations involving the Federal Government, PENGASSAN, and the Dangote Group on Monday and Tuesday. The talks were convened in response to a strike declared by the union, which had directed members to cut gas and crude supplies to the refinery in protest against the dismissal of workers who had joined PENGASSAN.
Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, who facilitated the dialogue, stressed that workers’ rights to unionise under Nigerian law must not be undermined.
A joint communique issued after the meeting highlighted three resolutions: the immediate commencement of reabsorbing the affected staff into the Dangote Group without any reduction in pay, suspension of the strike by PENGASSAN, and a mutual commitment to end all forms of victimisation linked to the dispute.
“The Dangote Group management will immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff into other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay,” the communique stated. It further added that both sides had agreed that no worker would suffer reprisals for their involvement in the face-off.
PENGASSAN confirmed it would begin the process of officially calling off the strike, describing the resolution as a step towards safeguarding workers’ rights and industrial harmony.
