The PENGASSAN and the private refinery are at loggerheads over unresolved labour issues
A delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and the management of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery are currently in a reconciliation meeting with the Federal Government.
Members of PENGASSAN, led by the President, Festus Osifo, and some members of the Dangote refinery management, arrived at the conference room of the Minister of Labour and Employment for the planned meeting.
Also present at the meeting are the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, as well as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha.
The union and the private refinery are at loggerheads over unresolved labour issues.
Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) on Monday barricaded the premises of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja in compliance with the directives from its national executive committee for a nationwide industrial action.
The aggrieved union members are protesting the alleged illegal sacking of over 800 Nigerian workers by the management of the Dangote refinery.
Our correspondent on the ground at the scene of the protest spotted the union members singing solidarity songs while gathering at the NNPCL office and those of the oil and gas regulators.
The union members blocked the gate into the premises, just as their colleagues at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) also blocked the entrance I’to their premises.
The same situation at the headquarters of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
In a circular issued after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, September 27, 2025, and signed by General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery of violating Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions by dismissing workers for joining the association.
But the Dangote Petroleum Refinery last week said that the recent reorganisation in the company, which led to the sacking of some workers, was aimed at preventing intermittent cases of sabotage.
It also refuted claims that the exercise was arbitrary, adding that it was carried out to address safety concerns and boost operational efficiency. (Channels TV)
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