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PENGASSAN accuses Dangote refinery of sacking 800 workers for unionising.
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Dangote denies claims, says only few staff dismissed for sabotage.
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Union threatens protests, demands reinstatement of affected employees.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote Petroleum Refinery following the alleged dismissal of 800 Nigerian workers who joined the union.
PENGASSAN accused the company of replacing the affected staff with over 2,000 expatriates from India, many of whom it claimed lacked valid immigration documents. The union described the action as discriminatory and a violation of Nigerian labour laws.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement on Friday, PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, alleged that the mass sack was directly linked to the workers’ decision to unionise. “As of Thursday, the workers had completed the process of unionisation as directed by the Federal Government. Over 800 agreed to join the union. The next thing we saw was a letter firing all Nigerian staff under the guise of reorganisation,” he said.
Okugbawa insisted that PENGASSAN would resist the move and had convened an emergency National Executive Council meeting to decide on the next course of action, which could include protests or picketing. “We will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the rights of Nigerian workers. If Dangote does not recall these workers, we will explore every section of the Constitution and labour laws to defend them,” he stated.
The association further argued that Section 7 of the Labour Act guarantees workers’ rights to fair treatment, while the Trade Union Act protects their freedom to join unions. It urged the refinery to reinstate the dismissed employees or face industrial action.
Reacting, the Dangote Refinery denied sacking workers over unionisation. In a statement, the company said only a few staff were dismissed following repeated acts of sabotage that threatened safety and operations at the facility. “This is not an arbitrary exercise. It became necessary to safeguard the refinery from intermittent cases of sabotage with dire consequences on human life and operational efficiency,” the management explained.
The refinery stressed that more than 3,000 Nigerians remain actively employed at the plant and that it continues to recruit local talents through graduate trainee and experienced hire programmes. It also reaffirmed its recognition of internationally accepted labour principles, including workers’ rights to unionise.
“Our commitment to workers’ rights is unwavering. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery exists to serve Nigerians, strengthen Africa’s energy independence, and create sustainable jobs. We will continue to uphold the highest standards of safety, transparency, and accountability,” the statement added.
The refinery was recently at the centre of a labour dispute after members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) shut it down over claims that tanker drivers were denied unionisation. A court injunction was later obtained to stop further blockade of the facility.
