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PENGASSAN rejected FG communiqué on Dangote strike, insisting it never signed.
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Union demands reinstatement of 800 sacked workers, warns of strike return.
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Dangote defends restructuring as court restrains further industrial action.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has distanced itself from the federal government communiqué that announced the suspension of its nationwide strike against Dangote Refinery, insisting it never signed the document.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the union suspended its strike on Wednesday, October 1, following government intervention, but stressed that the key issue of reinstating over 800 sacked workers remains unresolved.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, October 2, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, explained that the communiqué was not an agreement but a statement from the Minister of Labour, Mohammed Dingyadi. “Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because some things in it were not okay with us,” he said.
Osifo emphasised that the union’s fight was not about dues but about workers’ rights. “Our demand is clear: take the people back to the refinery. That is all we asked for,” he stated, while rejecting Dangote’s earlier claims that the disengaged workers sabotaged the economy.
The strike, which began on Sunday, disrupted oil and gas operations, with members blocking NNPC headquarters and regulatory agencies in Abuja. Federal authorities quickly intervened, and Dingyadi later announced that the affected workers would be absorbed into subsidiaries of the Dangote Group without loss of pay.
Dangote Refinery, however, defended its restructuring, saying only a small fraction of its 3,000 Nigerian employees were affected. The company warned that PENGASSAN’s actions could harm fuel supply and revenues.
The National Industrial Court has since issued a seven-day injunction stopping further strike action, with a hearing fixed for October 13.
Despite this, Osifo warned the union would not hesitate to resume its strike if agreements were breached.
