The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has agreed to suspend its nationwide strike after the Federal Government intervened in the dispute between the union and the management of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The breakthrough was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day conciliation meeting held in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari-Dingyadi.
The high-level meeting drew in key government officials, including the National Security Adviser, the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and State for Petroleum (Gas), as well as representatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and labour leaders.
The conciliation followed PENGASSAN’s directive to its members to halt gas supply and withdraw services from the Dangote Refinery, a move that threatened operations at Africa’s largest oil refining complex.
According to the communiqué, the parties resolved that unionisation remains a fundamental right of Nigerian workers as guaranteed by law, and must be respected by the company.
It was also agreed that the management of the Dangote Group should immediately redeploy the affected workers to other subsidiaries within the conglomerate, ensuring that no employee suffers any loss of pay.
The communiqué further stated that no worker would be victimised for participating in the industrial action, while both sides pledged to uphold the resolutions in good faith.
In return, PENGASSAN committed to begin the process of calling off its strike, thereby paving the way for normalcy to return to the refinery’s operations.
The agreement is expected to calm rising tensions in the oil and gas sector and restore stability to energy supply chains that were already strained by the industrial dispute.
