The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its strike over a rift between the union and the Dangote Refinery.
The union, however, cautioned the management of Dangote Refinery against reneging on the agreement they both signed during a marathon meeting that was held at the Office of the National Security Adviser.
President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, announced the strike suspension at a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.
Daily Trust reports that both PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery have been at loggerheads following the unionisation of some employees working with the refinery.
The company had sacked over 800 of its employees, a development the union frowned at.
While the company premised its decision on alleged sabotage, the union maintained that Dangote Refinery flouted Labour laws, International Labour Organizations (ILO) conventions and the Nigerian constitution.
Specifically, the development triggered a rapid response from PENGASSAN, whose members shut down export terminals, blocked vessel loading, and locked offices across oil and gas facilities.
After marathon negotiations involving the federal government, labour leaders, and security agencies, a communique was signed on Wednesday where Dangote Group agreed to re-fix sacked employees.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, in a statement on the outcome of the reconciliation meetings, said the parties agreed that the disengaged workers will be absorbed by other subsidiaries in Dangote Group without loss of pay.
The statement said, ‘The Minister of Labour informed the meeting that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.
‘After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group 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.’
Osifo, at the press briefing, dismissed claims that the union’s action was motivated by dues or levies.
The labour leader explained that by the fundamental principle of defending workers’ rights, the association had no choice but to act after the mass sack, saying they’ve not violated any law of the land.
He said, ‘About two weeks ago, over 800 Nigerians voluntarily subscribed to join PENGASSAN. Within days of notifying management, all of them were dismissed with a single letter.
‘When these people were hired, they were given individual letters, but when it came to termination, one single letter was used to throw all of them out. We found that unacceptable.
Continuing, he said, ‘We laugh when people say we went on strike because of dues. The total salary of those 800 members put together is less than what just 20 of our members earn in some international oil firms.
‘This was never about money. It was about their freedom of association, their right to join a union, and their right to fight for better conditions of service. That is why they came to us.’
The union leader also highlighted the broader danger of the accusations levelled against the sacked workers.
He said, ‘Once such allegations are made public, these workers may never get another job again.’
He further noted that PENGASSAN is sceptical about the company’s promises to reinstate the workers but said it decided to suspend the strike out of respect for the government and the mediation process.
‘Let it be clear, this suspension is in good faith, not because we fully trust the process. The moment we see any breach, we will return to the trenches without notice,’ he added.