THE Federal Government has stepped in to mediate the ongoing dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the management of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over unresolved labour issues.
Today, representatives of both parties arrived at the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja for a closed-door meeting with Minister Mohammed Dingyadi and Minister of State, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
The union was led by its president, Festus Osifo.
The talks follow a wave of protests earlier in the day as PENGASSAN members barricaded the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), as well as offices of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Union members, chanting solidarity songs, accused the Dangote refinery of unlawfully dismissing over 800 Nigerian workers for joining the association.
In a circular issued after an emergency NEC meeting on September 27, the union alleged that the refinery’s actions violated Nigerian labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions.
However, the refinery has defended the mass sack, describing it as part of an internal reorganisation aimed at curbing sabotage, addressing safety concerns, and improving operational efficiency. Management denied claims that the move was arbitrary.
The meeting with government officials is expected to help resolve the standoff, which has already triggered a nationwide strike by the oil and gas workers’ union.