The Federal Government has brokered an agreement to resolve the labour dispute between Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), putting an end to a strike that threatened Nigeria’s fuel supply.
At a conciliation session convened by Labour Minister Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, both sides agreed that the more than 800 workers who had been disengaged would be redeployed within the Dangote Group without any loss of pay.
PENGASSAN also agreed to begin calling off its strike and to restore services at the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery.
The agreement contains provisions to protect workers from retaliation, ensuring that no one will be victimised for their role in the dispute.
The communique also reaffirmed that the right to unionise is protected under Nigerian law and international labour conventions.
The delegation to the talks included senior government and security officials: the Ministers of Finance, Budget & Economic Planning, and State for Petroleum (Gas); the heads of the DSS and NIA; the directors of NMDPRA and NUPRC; and representatives from NNPCL.
This resolution averts what many feared would be a crippling shutdown of fuel operations across the country.
