The leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has disclosed that it refused to sign the communiqué reached with the Dangote Refinery after the strike was suspended, due to the presence of “grey areas” in the document.
The union’s President, Festus Osifo, revealed on Thursday that while the nationwide strike was suspended, it was done purely out of “respect and regards” for the government and its institutions, which had intervened to mediate the dispute.
Why PENGASSAN Did Not Sign
Osifo explained on Channels Television that the communiqué, issued at the end of the marathon peace meeting, was a statement from the Minister of Labour and Employment, who acted as the chief conciliator, and not a fully agreed-upon document by all three parties.
The key reasons PENGASSAN refused to sign were:
- Unsatisfactory Content: The union felt that “some things in it were not okay with us,” indicating that the document did not fully satisfy its demands or position.
- Focus on Reinstatement: PENGASSAN’s core priority remains the immediate reinstatement of the sacked workers, dismissing initial claims by some media that the union was only interested in check-off dues.
- Refinery’s Initial Refusal: Osifo disclosed that the Dangote Refinery management initially refused to reabsorb the disengaged workers until the government intervened and pushed for a compromise.
The Strike Background
The dispute arose after the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest, sacked 800 of its employees, allegedly replacing them with foreign nationals from India. The company defended its decision by alleging sabotage by the disengaged workers, a claim PENGASSAN strongly dismissed. The union maintained that the sackings violated Labour laws, International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, and the Nigerian constitution.
The resulting strike led to severe disruption across the Nigerian oil sector, including the shutting down of export terminals and blockage of vessel loading. The government-brokered compromise, which led to the strike’s suspension, stated that the disengaged workers would be absorbed by other subsidiaries in the Dangote Group without loss of pay. However, PENGASSAN’s refusal to sign the final document signals that the underlying issues have not been fully resolved.
