Labour Ministers mediate as union demands reinstatement of over 800 dismissed workers
A high-stakes reconciliation meeting is currently underway between the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, with the Federal Government stepping in to mediate a growing labour crisis.
The meeting, held at the conference room of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja, is being chaired by Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, alongside the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Leading the PENGASSAN delegation is the union’s President, Festus Osifo, accompanied by senior executives. Representatives from the Dangote refinery were also present at the session, aimed at resolving what the union describes as “unlawful labour practices” at Africa’s largest private refinery.
The crisis follows the alleged dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery, which the union claims was in retaliation for workers joining PENGASSAN.
In response, the union launched a nationwide industrial action on Monday, in line with directives from its National Executive Council issued over the weekend.
“The actions of the Dangote Refinery contravene Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and ILO conventions by terminating employees for unionizing,” the union said in a circular signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa.
Nationwide Protests Disrupt Oil & Gas Operations
As part of the protest, PENGASSAN members barricaded the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja, blocking the main entrance and singing solidarity songs.
