Efforts to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Petroleum Refinery ended in a stalemate.
The reconciliation meeting, convened by the Federal Government, began at around 4 p.m. on Monday and lasted approximately nine hours into the early hours of Tuesday. Present at the meeting were the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
Despite the lengthy discussions, no agreement was reached. Minister Dingyadi announced that talks would resume at 2 p.m. on Tuesday in an effort to break the deadlock.
PENGASSAN, led by its President Festus Osifo, and representatives of Dangote Refinery met at the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s conference room to address the dispute, which centers on unresolved labour issues.
Meanwhile, PENGASSAN members staged a protest on Monday, barricading the premises of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja, following a nationwide industrial action directive from the union’s national executive committee.
Protesting members accused the Dangote Refinery management of unlawfully terminating the employment of over 800 Nigerian workers for joining the union. Solidarity songs were sung as union members blocked entrances to NNPCL offices, as well as those of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The union alleges that Dangote Refinery’s actions breach Nigerian labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
In response, Dangote Petroleum Refinery claimed that the recent staff restructuring was necessary to curb repeated cases of sabotage. The company denied any wrongdoing, stating that the layoffs were part of efforts to enhance safety and improve operational efficiency.
