The Federal Government on Monday waded into the face-off between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and Dangote Petroleum Refinery over the alleged dismissal of over 800 workers.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, hosted both parties in a closed-door meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
PENGASSAN’s delegation was led by its president, Festus Osifo, while senior officials represented the refinery.
The dispute began after PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of sacking workers for attempting to join the union.
The association said the action breached Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions.
Dangote refinery, however, denied any wrongdoing. It explained that the disengagement of workers was part of an internal reorganisation to curb sabotage, improve safety, and enhance operational efficiency.
In protest, the oil workers on Monday shut down the Abuja offices of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The action followed a directive from PENGASSAN’s National Executive Council, which had declared a nationwide strike after its emergency meeting on September 27.
In a statement on Sunday, the minister appealed to the union to reconsider its strike action, warning that it could worsen economic hardship.
“A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses for the country but also cause more hardship for Nigerians. It will also affect national security,” he had said.
As of press time, the reconciliation meeting was still in progress.
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