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The President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo, has given a reason why the union did not sign the agreement with the Dangote Refinery before suspending its nationwide industrial action.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that PENGASSAN suspended its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery on Wednesday after reaching “an agreement” with the management.
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The agreement followed a reconciliation meeting facilitated by the Nigerian government between the two parties.
‘We didn’t sign the agreement’
Speaking on Thursday morning when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief, Mr Osifo said PENGASSAN did not sign any agreement with Dangote Refinery.
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The president explained that PENGASSAN refused to sign “a communique” presented as an agreement because the union was uncomfortable with some resolutions.
“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,” he said.
Mr Osifo said PENGASSAN later presented the communique to the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) for consideration.
“When we subjected it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media houses claimed we were only interested in check-up dues.
“That is false. What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families,” the president stated.
He pointed out that the communique was only a communication from the Minister of Labour and Employment, acting as chief conciliator in the face-off.
No sabotage
Mr Osifo refuted claims by Dangote Refinery that its sacked employees were sabotaging the company.
“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,” he lamented.
The president stressed that PENGASSAN’s squabble with Dangote Refinery was not entirely about the union, but about Nigerian workers whose employment was abruptly terminated for exercising their right to association.
“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,” he said.
The squabble between Dangote and PENGASSAN
A face-off between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery began after the refinery management announced a decision to sack some workers who are members of the union.
In response, PENGASSAN asked its members to disrupt activities at the refinery by blocking the gas supply to it.
The union also accused the Dangote refinery of spreading misinformation to justify its actions.
It further directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services in protest against the sack of Nigerian workers at the refinery from midnight on 28 September, accusing the refinery management of anti-labour practices and discrimination against local employees.
Dangote Refinery described the directive as illegal and asked PENGASSAN to obey Nigerian laws in its operations.
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The firm argued that PENGASSAN has no legal right to disrupt or interfere with the refinery’s contracts with third-party vendors for gas and crude oil supply.
It then called on the Nigerian government and its security agencies to intervene and call PENGASSAN to order.
The company also contended that PENGASSAN’s actions were not only lawless but also had the potential to significantly harm the Nigerian economy and citizens.
On Saturday, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) asked PENGASSAN to suspend its directive to cut off gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote refinery.
The following day, the Nigerian government appealed to PENGASSAN to suspend its planned nationwide strike over its dispute with the Dangote Refinery.
In an appeal statement, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said the ministry had already initiated moves to reconcile the parties to prevent the crisis from escalating.
Meanwhile, the National Industrial Court, Abuja, issued an interim order stopping PENGASSAN from continuing its nationwide industrial action against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
The court also restrained PENGASSAN from cutting crude and gas supply to Dangote Refinery.
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