The Federal Government has announced that staff disengaged from operations at the Dangote Refinery will be redeployed to other companies within the Dangote Group. This follows the resolution of a dispute between the refinery management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the development in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja. He explained that the redeployed workers would not suffer any loss of pay during the transition.
“After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately begin the process of redeploying 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,” Dingyadi said.
He further disclosed that both parties had reached a compromise. “PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith,” he stated.
The minister stressed the importance of workers’ rights, adding that “unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, and this right should be respected.”
The intervention came after earlier talks between the refinery’s management and PENGASSAN broke down on Monday without resolution. The dispute began when PENGASSAN raised concerns over what it described as mass transfers and dismissals of union members. The union also accused the company of replacing Nigerian staff with foreign workers, saying this move undermined local employment rights and breached labour laws.
Management of the Dangote Refinery denied the claims, insisting the workforce reorganization was driven by operational requirements and had no link to union activities.
The standoff deepened when PENGASSAN halted gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery, creating fears of possible disruptions to Nigeria’s energy supply and economic stability.
The Federal Government intervened, warning of “adverse effects on the economy and energy security” if the dispute was not resolved, and convened high-level talks to end the industrial action.