The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has clarified that it did not sign the communiqué that led to the suspension of its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery.
The union had embarked on the strike on Sunday to protest the alleged unlawful dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian employees and their replacement with over 2,000 foreign workers, mainly Indians. The action was suspended on Wednesday following the intervention of the Federal Government.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, said the suspension of the strike was done in good faith, but stressed that the communiqué presented after the Abuja meeting was not an agreement. “If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it should be signed by three parties, but we refused because there were clauses we were not comfortable with,” Osifo explained.
He added that the document was essentially a statement issued by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who chaired the meeting as conciliator.
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Osifo disclosed that when the communiqué was reviewed by the association’s National Executive Council (NEC), the union resolved to focus on protecting the welfare of its members rather than bowing to misrepresentations.
He dismissed claims that the union’s agitation was merely about check-off dues, insisting that the core demand was the reinstatement of the sacked Nigerian workers.
According to him, the refinery initially refused to recall the disengaged employees until the government intervened and pressed for a compromise. He dismissed Dangote’s earlier allegations that the affected workers attempted to sabotage operations, saying the charge could have permanently damaged their future employment prospects.
“The allegation of sabotage was baseless. Clearing our members of that label was a major victory,” Osifo said, stressing that the struggle was aimed at defending workers’ rights and not for personal gains. The PENGASSAN leader warned that the strike could resume without notice if the refinery management reneged on the resolutions or failed to reinstate the affected workers.
