By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has explained why it refused to sign the communique issued after a peace meeting with Dangote Refinery, despite suspending its strike.
The union said the document contained “grey areas” and was essentially a statement from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who chaired the reconciliation talks.
The dispute began after Dangote Refinery allegedly sacked 800 Nigerian workers and replaced them with foreign nationals, a move PENGASSAN described as a violation of labour laws and ILO conventions. The company, however, claimed sabotage.
In protest, PENGASSAN shut down export terminals, blocked vessel loading, and locked oil and gas facilities, forcing government intervention. After marathon negotiations, the ministry announced that the sacked workers would be absorbed into other Dangote subsidiaries without loss of pay.
But PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, insisted the union’s priority was reinstating the workers and clearing them of sabotage allegations, which he said were false and damaging.
He warned that if the resolutions were not implemented, the union would not hesitate to resume industrial action.