The Federal Government has appealed to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to suspend its planned nationwide strike over its dispute with Dangote Refinery.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, appealed in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Dingyadi said the ministry had already initiated moves to reconcile the parties to prevent the crisis from escalating.
“The Ministry of Labour and Employment, through the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, has extended invitations to the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to attend a conciliation meeting in my office on Monday.
“I appeal to both parties to be mindful of the importance of the petroleum sector to the country, being the core of her economy. A strike will not only lead to heavy revenue losses for the country but also cause more hardship and difficulties for Nigerians. Consequently, it will have adverse impacts, both on economic stability and national security,” he added.
The minister urged the union to withdraw its strike declaration to allow the Federal Government to mediate in a peaceful atmosphere.
On Saturday, PENGASSAN ordered a nationwide strike in response to the dismissal of some Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the association’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC).
Okugbawa described the refinery’s action as a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions.
The union leader explained that NEC ordered all PENGASSAN members working across field locations to withdraw their services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, September 28, while those in offices, companies, institutions and agencies are to withdraw services from 00:01hrs on Monday, September 29.
In response, the Dangote Group accused PENGASSAN of planning to sabotage the Dangote Refinery.\
The Group warned that the union’s threatened strike could disrupt fuel supply for 230 million Nigerians.
According to the Group, the strike mirrors PENGASSAN’s interference in the $750 million Federal Government deal to sell the moribund Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to a Dangote-led consortium in 2007.
The Group addressed claims that it had sacked over 800 Nigerian staff and replaced them with 2,000 Indian workers. Dangote said these are false. Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work at the refinery, the Group noted.
The Group further referenced a legal case involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), noting that PENGASSAN had similarly opposed reforms and corporate actions that would improve Nigeria’s energy sector and economic stability.
Dangote said the pattern shows the union has consistently resisted measures that benefit both workers and the nation.
Dangote said the pattern shows the union has consistently resisted measures that benefit both workers and the nation.