The Federal Government has announced that staff earlier disengaged from the Dangote Refinery will be redeployed within the Dangote Group without any loss of pay, following a resolution of the dispute between the company and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the agreement in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said, “After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately begin the process of redeploying 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.”
Dingyadi added that both sides had reached a compromise to end the crisis. “PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith,” he said.
The minister also stressed that “unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, and this right should be respected.”
The intervention followed a deadlock in earlier talks between PENGASSAN and Dangote management, after the union accused the refinery of mass transfers and dismissals of its members and of replacing some Nigerian staff with foreign workers.
The union described these actions as violations of labour laws and threats to local employment rights.
Dangote’s management denied the allegations, insisting that its workforce reorganisation was driven purely by operational requirements and not linked to union activities.
The dispute escalated when PENGASSAN shut down gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery, sparking fears of disruptions to energy security and economic stability.
The Federal Government stepped in, warning of “adverse effects on the economy and energy security,” and convened high-level talks that produced the agreement.
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