Dangote Group has bowed to pressure and is set recalls all the sacked refinery workers after FG and PENGASSAN intervention.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Federal Government has confirmed that Dangote Group will reinstate refinery workers recently disengaged, following a truce with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, announced the resolution on Wednesday in Abuja, stating that the recalled workers will face no loss of pay during their redeployment.
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“After reviewing the disengagement procedure, it was agreed that Dangote Group shall immediately begin redeploying the affected workers to other subsidiaries within the Group, with full pay protection. No staff will be victimised for their role in the dispute,” Dingyadi said.
He added that PENGASSAN has commenced steps to call off its strike, after both sides reached a compromise in good faith.
The breakthrough comes after days of tense negotiations following PENGASSAN’s accusations that the refinery carried out mass transfers and dismissals targeting union members, allegedly replacing Nigerians with expatriates.
Dangote Group strongly denied the claims, insisting the restructuring was operational and not linked to union activity.
The impasse escalated when PENGASSAN shut down crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery, raising fears of severe disruptions to Nigeria’s energy supply and economic stability.
Federal Government intervention, through a series of high-level conciliation meetings, finally brought about Wednesday’s resolution, with officials stressing that workers’ right to unionise must be respected under Nigerian law.