The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its three-day strike following an agreement brokered by the Federal Government with Dangote Refinery.
The truce, reached late Tuesday, includes a commitment by the company to reabsorb more than 800 workers dismissed for allegedly joining the union. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo said the union’s National Executive Council resolved to suspend the action “as a mark of respect to the government and other stakeholders who intervened.”
Osifo, however, warned that the strike would resume immediately if the agreement was breached. He noted that while the deal was accepted in good faith, it did not fully address PENGASSAN’s concerns, particularly the assurance that the affected workers would be reinstated at the refinery rather than in roles outside the union’s jurisdiction.
He dismissed allegations that the union’s action was aimed at securing check-off dues, insisting the strike was to protect young oil and gas workers’ rights. “We are not after check-off dues; we are after giving workers a platform to push for and safeguard their welfare,” Osifo said.
The industrial action, which paralysed the nation’s oil and gas sector for three days, was resolved after negotiations were moved from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to the Office of the National Security Adviser, where both parties agreed to the peace terms.
