The Federal Government has announced that Dangote Group will recall workers recently disengaged from its refinery operations, following a resolution of its dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
It also confirmed that the affected workers will not suffer any loss of pay during their redeployment.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said: “After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately begin the process of redeploying the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay.
No worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.”
The minister added that both parties had reached a compromise, noting that: “PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith.”
He further stressed that “unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, and this right should be respected.”
The breakthrough followed a series of conciliation meetings after earlier talks collapsed on Monday.
The crisis began after PENGASSAN accused Dangote Refinery of carrying out mass transfers and dismissals targeting union members, while also alleging that some Nigerian staff were being replaced with expatriates. The union argued that these actions violated labour laws and undermined local employment rights.
Dangote management, however, denied the allegations, insisting that the restructuring was purely operational and unrelated to union activities.
The standoff escalated when PENGASSAN shut down crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery, sparking fears of widespread energy supply disruptions and economic instability.
The Federal Government intervened, warning of “adverse effects on the economy and energy security,” and convened high-level talks which eventually led to Wednesday’s resolution.
