The Federal Government has announced that the Dangote Group will redeploy staff earlier disengaged from its refinery operations, following the resolution of its labour dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the agreement in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the disengaged workers would be reassigned to other companies within the Dangote Group without suffering any loss of pay.
“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 said.
The minister also stressed that unionisation is a fundamental right guaranteed under Nigerian law, and urged all parties to respect this principle.
Union Dispute
The industrial dispute began after PENGASSAN accused Dangote refinery management of mass transfers and dismissals of union members, while also alleging that some Nigerian staff were being replaced with foreign workers. The company denied the claims, saying the restructuring was purely operational.
Talks initially broke down on Monday, prompting the union to halt gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery. The strike raised fears of energy supply disruptions and wider economic impact.
Government Intervention
The Federal Government intervened to avert what it described as “adverse effects on the economy and energy security,” convening high-level conciliation meetings that eventually produced a compromise.
According to the Labour Minister, PENGASSAN has now agreed to commence the process of calling off its strike in line with the resolutions reached in good faith.
