Lagos, 1 October (Argus) — The Nigerian government said it has resolved a dispute between oil workers’ union Pengassan and the 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery, ending a two-day strike that disrupted natural gas and crude supply to the facility.
Pengassan said it launched the industrial action in protest at the firing of 800 refinery workers who had joined the union last week. Dangote played down the scale of the dismissals, saying it let go only a “very small number” of staff to prevent “repeated acts of sabotage” as part of an “ongoing reorganisation”.
Labour minister Muhammad Dingyadi said in a statement seen by Argus that, “After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, [it was] agreed that the management of Dangote shall immediately start the process of taking 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. “Unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria [and] this right should be respected.”
The minister first convened talks between the parties at his ministry on 29 September. A resolution was reached at a second meeting on 30 September at the office of the national security adviser, attended by three additional federal ministers, including finance and economy minister Wale Edun.
Officials from the downstream regulator NMDPRA, upstream regulator NUPRC and state-owned oil firm NNPC also joined the meeting, where Pengassan agreed to begin the process of calling off its strike, Dingyadi said.
By Adebiyi Olusolape
