PENGASSAN Threatens to Shut Down Dangote Refinery Over Mass Sack of Workers

Another storm is gathering in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has vowed to shut down the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery following what it described as the unjust dismissal of hundreds of Nigerian workers.

PulseNets learnt that the action, if not quickly resolved, could trigger another round of fuel price increases at a time Nigerians are already grappling with economic hardships.

The union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, disclosed in a statement obtained by PulseNets on Friday that “over 800 Nigerians were laid off from the refinery merely hours after they joined the union.”

According to PENGASSAN, the refinery’s management has been given a clear ultimatum to recall the sacked workers or face industrial action that may cripple operations at Africa’s largest single-train 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Okugbawa stressed that “the union will explore all available options if the Dangote management fails to reinstate the affected staff.”

Dangote Group, in a counter-statement also obtained by PulseNets on Friday, confirmed the sack but described it as a necessary measure to protect the refinery. The company stated that “a very small number of staff were affected due to repeated acts of sabotage.” However, the statement did not provide the exact number of those dismissed or the specific nature of the alleged sabotage.

Meanwhile, the dismissed workers, in a letter that went viral on Friday, alleged that they were “victimised for exercising their constitutional right to belong to a trade union.”

Adding more fuel to the crisis, PENGASSAN further alleged that the refinery has replaced the 800 Nigerian workers with 2,000 Indians, a move the union insists is unacceptable and discriminatory.

PulseNets learnt that PENGASSAN has already summoned an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to chart the next line of action and ensure what it termed as “justice for Nigerian workers.”

Also Read: PENGASSAN: Dangote Refinery Sacks All Nigerian Workers

Industry observers told PulseNets that unless urgent mediation takes place, the crisis could snowball into nationwide disruptions in petroleum product supply, raising fears of a new hike in the pump price of petrol.