A reconciliation meeting facilitated by the Nigerian government between the Dangote refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has resulted in an agreement to resolve the ongoing dispute.
The meeting initially ended in a deadlock on Monday night. It was scheduled to resume at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja, and later moved to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
PREMIUM TIMES understands that the parties reached an agreement in the early hours of Wednesday after several negotiations.
The meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser, Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Finance, Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment, DG SSS, and DG NIA,
Others were: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources [Gas] represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Chief Executives of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), representatives of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and the management of Dangote Group and the President and Secretary General TUC and leadership of PENGASSAN.
Agreement
After a lengthy discussion, the parties resolved that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.
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, and no workers will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.
PENGASSAN, however, agreed to start the process of calling off the strike.
The communique issued at the end of the meeting 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,” it said.
Dangote vs PENGASSAN crisis
PREMIUM TIMES reports that PENGASSAN had earlier asked its members to disrupt activities at the refinery by blocking gas supply to it.
The association said its decision was in response to the refinery’s management’s decision to sack some workers who are members of the union. It also accused Dangote refinery of spreading misinformation to justify its actions.
The union also directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services in protest against the alleged sack of Nigerian workers at the refinery from midnight on 28 September. It accused the management of the refinery of anti-labour practices and discrimination against local employees, prompting the federal government’s intervention.
In a swift response, Dangote refinery described the order as illegal and cautioned PENGASSAN to obey Nigerian laws in its operations, noting that PENGASSAN has no legal right to disrupt or interfere with the refinery’s contracts with third-party vendors for gas and crude oil supply.
The Dangote Refinery called on the federal government and its security agencies to intervene and call PENGASSAN to order, urging that PENGASSAN’s actions are not only lawless but also have the potential to inflict significant harm on the Nigerian economy and citizens.
On Saturday, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) called PENGASSAN to suspend its directive to cut off gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote refinery.
On Sunday, the federal government appealed to PENGASSAN to suspend its planned nationwide strike over its dispute with the Dangote Refinery.
In an appeal statement, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the ministry had already initiated moves to reconcile the parties to prevent the crisis from escalating.
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This newspaper had earlier reported that PENGASSAN shut down the major entry points of the NNPC Ltd, NMDPRA, and the NUPRC on Monday morning.
At the NMDPRA Headquarters gate located at the federal secretariat, this newspaper observed a banner with an inscription ‘Dangote Must Obey’, ‘Dangote is Not bigger than the country’, and ‘Dangote the Chief of lawless officer.’
Earlier, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, issued an interim order stopping PENGASSAN from continuing with its nationwide industrial action against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
The court also restrained PENGASSAN from cutting crude and gas supply to Dangote Refinery.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the ongoing strike by the PENGASSAN has led to a resurgence of black market petrol sellers in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
