The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has insisted that it did not sign the communiqué that led to the suspension of its nationwide strike against Dangote Refinery.
Union president, Festus Osifo, explained on Thursday that the communiqué presented after government intervention was not an agreement but only a statement from the Minister of Labour and Employment.
“If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us,” Osifo said while appearing on The Morning Brief.
He maintained that PENGASSAN suspended the strike in good faith to allow members return to work and cater for their families, but warned that unresolved “grey areas” could trigger an immediate resumption of the industrial action if dishonoured.
The dispute, which centres on the alleged illegal dismissal of more than 800 Nigerian workers, saw PENGASSAN members barricade the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited headquarters and regulatory agencies in Abuja, demanding the reinstatement of the sacked staff.
Dangote Refinery has denied wrongdoing, describing the restructuring exercise as necessary for efficiency, while stressing that most of its 3,000 Nigerian employees remain unaffected.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, confirmed that disengaged workers would be reassigned within the Dangote Group without loss of pay, assuring that no worker would be victimised for union activities.
Despite this, PENGASSAN warned it would not hesitate to resume its strike if the resolutions are not implemented.
