The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has issued a fresh warning to Dangote Petroleum Refinery following the suspension of its strike.
PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo announced the strike’s suspension in Abuja after discussions with the National Security Adviser and Dangote management.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, confirmed a compromise was reached, ensuring over 800 disengaged workers would be reassigned to other Dangote Group subsidiaries without pay cuts.
“Workers have a legal right to unionize,” Dingyadi stated. “No one will face victimization for their role in this dispute.”
On Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Osifo clarified that PENGASSAN did not sign the communiqué that ended the strike.
“The document wasn’t an agreement,” Osifo said. “It was a statement from the Minister of Labour as chief conciliator. We didn’t sign because we disagreed with parts of it.”
Osifo emphasized that the union’s priority was ensuring members could return to work and support their families, not just collecting dues as some media outlets suggested.
“Dangote initially refused to reinstate the workers, but government intervention led to a compromise,” he explained.
Osifo rejected Dangote’s allegations of worker sabotage, calling them baseless.
“The claim that workers sabotaged the economy was wrong. If that label stuck, those 800 workers would struggle to find future employment. Clearing that stigma was a major victory,” he said.
He added, “If Dangote fails to act, we have tools at our disposal. PENGASSAN has fought for workers’ rights for 50 years, long before Dangote Refinery existed.”
