The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has clarified that it did not sign the communiqué that ended its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery.
The union suspended the strike on Wednesday, three days after it began, following the intervention of the Federal Government. However, PENGASSAN maintains that several of its concerns remain unresolved.
PENGASSAN had accused the refinery of unlawfully sacking over 800 Nigerian workers and replacing them with more than 2,000 Indian nationals.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo warned that the union could resume the strike without notice if the refinery fails to honour the resolutions discussed.
He acknowledged that there were “grey areas” in the communiqué but said the strike was suspended in good faith.
Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Osifo explained that the document released after the meeting was not a jointly agreed resolution.
“If you look at that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it should carry the signatures of all three parties. We didn’t sign because we disagreed with parts of it,” he said.
He further clarified that the communiqué was simply a statement issued by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who served as chief conciliator.
“When we reviewed it at our NEC meeting, we focused on our priorities. Some media reports said we were only interested in check-off dues, that’s false. Our main concern was getting our members back to work and ensuring they could provide for their families.”
Osifo reiterated that PENGASSAN’s core demand remains the reinstatement of the sacked workers. He revealed that Dangote initially refused to reabsorb the employees, citing alleged sabotage, until the government intervened and pushed for a compromise.
“The claim that the workers sabotaged the economy was completely false. If that label had stuck, those 800 people would have struggled to find employment again. Removing that stigma was a major victory for us,” he said.
He stressed that the union’s action was not driven by self-interest but by the need to protect Nigerian workers dismissed for exercising their right to unionise.
“If Dangote fails to do the needful, our tools are always ready. We will not hesitate to act. We’ve been fighting for workers’ rights long before the Dangote Refinery existed,” Osifo declared.
