The Federal Government has announced that staff members recently disengaged from the Dangote Refinery will be redeployed to other subsidiaries of the Dangote Group without any reduction in their salaries.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja after a conciliatory meeting between the refinery management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
He explained that both parties had reached an agreement following days of industrial unrest.
“After reviewing the procedure that led to the disengagement, the meeting resolved that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately redeploy the affected workers to other companies within the Group, with no loss of pay,” Dingyadi said.
The minister further assured that no employee would be penalised for their involvement in the union dispute.
“No worker will be victimised on account of their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN,” he stressed.
According to Dingyadi, PENGASSAN has also agreed to begin the process of suspending its strike action, which had disrupted gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery.
The minister reiterated that workers’ right to unionise must be respected.
“Unionisation is the right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, and this right should be protected at all times,” he added.
The standoff began after PENGASSAN accused the refinery of arbitrarily transferring and dismissing union members while allegedly replacing some Nigerians with expatriates.
The union described the move as a violation of labour rights and local employment protection.
The refinery’s management, however, denied the allegations, insisting that the workforce restructuring was driven by operational needs and not connected to union activities.
The strike raised fears of disruptions to the nation’s energy supply, prompting government intervention. “We had to act quickly to prevent adverse effects on the economy and energy security,” Dingyadi noted.
