800 staff who were fired again worked when the Nigerian government settled the Dangote Refinery and Pengassan Rift

The federal government has confirmed the settlement of disputes between the Nigerian Senior Oil and Gas Staff Association (Pengassan) and the Dangote Oil Refinery, after two days of intense council meeting.

In a statement released in the early days of Wednesday, the Minister of Manpower and Employment, Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed that the dispute had been completed after a prolonged negotiation.

He said several key agreements were achieved at the meeting.

Dingyadi said: “An honorable Minister of Manpower informs the meeting that trade unions are the right of workers in accordance with Nigeria’s law, and this right must be respected.”

He added that the meeting also reviewed the dismissal of several staff members in Dangote Refinery.

“After checking the procedure used in the release of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of the dangote group must immediately begin the process of recovering staff who were released to other companies in the dangote group, without losing salaries.

“No workers will become victims arising from their role in the deadlock between dangote and passing. Pengassan agreed to start the process of canceling strikes. Both parties agreed to this understanding with good faith,” he said.

Government delegations including national security advisers, Mallam Nuhu thousand; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economic, Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu; State Minister for Manpower and Employment, Barr. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Director General of State Service Department (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, and Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Mohammed Mohammed.

Also read: TUC Demands Recovering 800 Dangote Refinery Workers Fired

The initial round of Monday’s conversation between Pengassan and Dangote refinery management ended without a breakthrough, even though it stretched until late at night.

The discussion was consumed again on Tuesday afternoon at the National Security Advisory Office and met with early Wednesday, when a final agreement was sealed.

The dispute came from the accusation of passing that Dangote Refinery fired 800 members of the union and allegedly replacing several Nigerians with foreign nationals.

The company, however, denied the accusation.

Timothy Enithews