By Obinna Uballa
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has disowned the reconciliation agreement announced after talks with Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, insisting it did not sign the document.
The development has cast doubt on the Federal Government-brokered peace deal and heightened uncertainty over the dispute.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, said the communiqué circulated after the Abuja meeting was merely a statement issued by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, who chaired the talks.
“If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us,” Osifo explained.
He stressed that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) had mandated negotiators to prioritise the reinstatement of the 800 workers laid off by Dangote Refinery, rejecting media claims that PENGASSAN’s fight was only about check-off dues.
“What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families. Take the people back to the refinery,” Osifo declared.
He dismissed allegations that the disengaged workers sabotaged operations, describing Dangote’s claims as false and damaging.
“The release that Dangote made on workers sabotaging the economy was totally incorrect. If we had allowed that sabotage tag to stand, those 800 people would not be able to secure jobs in the future. That stigma would remain forever. Clearing that was a very big win,” he said.
The union leader warned that PENGASSAN would continue to resist unfair labour practices. “We are not perturbed in any way. If Dangote does not do the needful, our tools are always available. We will never get tired of struggling for what is right. We have been around for 50 years before the Dangote Refinery came on stream.”
