The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has clarified that it did not sign the communiqué that led to the suspension of its nationwide strike against the Dangote Refinery, warning that industrial action could resume if demands are not met.
The union halted its strike on Wednesday after federal government intervention, but insisted its grievances remain unresolved. PENGASSAN had accused the refinery of unlawfully sacking over 800 Nigerian workers and allegedly replacing them with more than 2,000 Indian employees.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo said the suspension was in good faith but cautioned that the strike could return without notice. “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 told reporters.
Speaking later on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Osifo stressed that the communiqué was not an agreement but merely a statement issued by Labour Minister Muhammadu Dingyadi, who acted as conciliator. He said the union subjected the document to its National Executive Council, which rejected elements of it.
Some reports suggested the union was focused only on check-off dues, a claim Osifo dismissed as false. “What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families,” he said.
PENGASSAN’s core demand, according to Osifo, is the reinstatement of the sacked Nigerian workers. He disclosed that Dangote Refinery initially resisted reabsorbing them until government pressure forced a compromise. The union also rejected the company’s claims that the disengaged staff had sabotaged operations.
“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,” Osifo said, insisting that the union’s fight was about protecting workers’ rights, not self-interest.
He warned that PENGASSAN would not hesitate to resume the strike if the refinery fails to honour commitments. “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 declared.
