The conciliatory meeting between the federal government, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery was yesterday shifted from the Ministry of Labour and Employment to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in Abuja, following a deadlock in earlier talks.
The relocation indicated an urgency to resolve the dispute, which has already threatened operations in the oil and gas sector. NSA’s involvement signals an attempt to give weight to the negotiations after both sides failed to resolve their industrial dispute during marathon sessions at the labour ministry.
LEADERSHIP reported that PENGASSAN insisted on reinstating about 800 refinery workers reportedly laid off by the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals under what the union described as anti-labour practices.
The association has accused Dangote Refinery of unfair dismissal, union suppression and disregard for established labour laws.
The union had already embarked on a strike, grounding many activities in the petroleum value chain. This prompted the federal government to intervene by convening a closed-door meeting chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi.
Despite hours of deliberation on Monday, the session ended without agreement, leading to the decision to escalate the matter to the NSA’s office.
For its part, the Dangote Group has maintained that its decisions are within operational and legal limits, insisting that workforce adjustments are necessary for the multibillion-dollar refinery project’s efficiency and sustainability.
As of the press time, the NSA’s office has yet to release the outcome of the new meeting.