PENGASSAN Threatens Dangote Refinery Picket, Demands Reinstatement of Sacked Workers
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has escalated its dispute with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, threatening to picket the facility over the alleged mass termination of Nigerian workers shortly after they joined the union.
The union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, claimed that the refinery unjustly dismissed approximately Nigerian employees and alleged that the company is planning to replace them with over Indian nationals, many of whom reportedly lack valid immigration documents. PENGASSAN asserts that these actions violate the workers’ constitutional right to freedom of association and contravene Nigeria’s Labour Act. “The dismissal of such a significant number of Nigerian workers without due consultation or any transparent justification contravenes the legal rights granted to all employees in Nigeria,” a union statement read.
In a swift counter-response, the Dangote Refinery management vehemently denied a mass sack, clarifying that the job terminations were not arbitrary. The company stated that the exercise is an “ongoing reorganisation” necessitated by “repeated acts of sabotage” across various units of the refinery, which have raised serious safety concerns and affected operational efficiency. Management maintained that the decision was taken in the best interest of the refinery, noting that over Nigerians remain in active employment. The refinery also stressed its commitment to upholding internationally accepted labour principles, including the right to unionise.
Despite the refinery’s clarification, PENGASSAN is standing firm on its allegations, viewing the dismissals as targeted intimidation following the unionisation of the staff. The union has scheduled an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to determine the next course of action, which includes the potential picketing of the refinery or a protest action if management fails to recall all terminated Nigerian staff. This industrial crisis adds to recent tensions at the facility, which previously saw a product loading disruption over a separate unionisation dispute.
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