. threatens to resume if Dangote Refinery fail to reinstate sacked workers
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its industrial action, which commenced on Monday.
This follows the reconciliatory meetings which took place in abuja on Monday and Tuesday, at the instance of Muhammad Dingyadi, the Minister of Labour and Employment. Dangote Refinery, at the meeting had agreed to deploy disengaged workers, while PENGASSAN committed to call off the strike.
PENGASSAN had embarked on the strike action to protest the sack of 800 workers by Dangote Refinery. The Association had said the action is an affront to all workers in Nigeria and a deliberate violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and ILO conventions.
However, Festus Osifo, President of PENGASSAN, who announced the suspension on Wednesday in Abuja, noted that the union suspended the strike strictly out of respect for the Federal Government and its institutions involved in the conciliation process.
He warned that the union would not hesitate to resume the strike if Dangote’s management fail to act in accordance to the agreement to recall the affected staff.
He said: “We are not happy with the terms of the agreement because it did not capture our main demand of recalling the 800 sacked Nigerians. But out of respect for government institutions, for the National Security Adviser, the DSS, the Chief Reconciliator of the Federation, and ministers who worked tirelessly into the early hours of the morning to mediate, we decided to suspend the action.
“However, let me be clear: if Dangote fails to keep its part, we will resume immediately, without any warning.
“We know that Dangote does not play by the rules or respect agreements. We believe and suspect that some of the promises extracted during the negotiations will not be honoured. But because we respect due process and institutions of government, we will give them that benefit of doubt. Yet, any breach will be met with severe and immediate response.”
Osifo speaking further, explained that PENGASSAN’s resolve to withdraw services nationwide was to protect young oil and gas workers who voluntarily agreed to be part of the union.
He noted that the oil and gas workforce has carried the burden of Nigeria’s economy for decades, providing over 90 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
“We know who we are and what we stand for. We are patriots who love this country more than any single individual, and that is why, despite our reservations, we chose to suspend this strike in deference to government efforts.
“We will be monitoring closely. Any slip, any breach, any part of this agreement that is not kept, we will not issue further notice. We will not give any warning. We will resume the suspended industrial action immediately. That is our resolution.
“Let’s see where they will take them to, the grey area where we were not happy with was very clear, it was the fact that we wanted them to send all of them to the Refinery but the government moved other wise, to find a middle point.
“On paper it has been that they will take them back but in reality we have not seen it, so the issue is that we will not be deceived because they said they will take them back, then we will now wait, one, to five days, if we do not see any traction, we will not be deceived and that is why what we said was that we have suspended the industrial action.
“We are in good faith as a demonstration to government that we respect institution, that we are extremely patriotic but this suspended action, we will go back to the trenches immediately we see any foul play, we will come back without any notice.”
Osifo affirmed that PENGASSAN’s struggle was not against progress but against injustice, and that the union would remain steadfast in defending the rights and welfare of its members, no matter whose interest was at stake.
