PENGASSAN had earlier announced a strike on Sunday, directing its members to cut gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has agreed to suspend its two day old industrial action.
This decision came after Dangote Refinery agreed to recall the workers dismissed for joining the labour union.
TheNiche had earlier reported that PENGASSAN announced a strike on Sunday, directing its members to cut gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery.
The industrial action was a direct response to Dangote Refinery’s sacking of 800 workers for voluntarily joining the union.
A meeting between the two organisations was later convened at the instance of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, but it ended in a deadlock on Monday.
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The parley, however, resumed on Tuesday leading to a truce, which is expected to ease the tension the strike has caused in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
In his remarks, the country’s minister of Labour and Employment reminded both parties that “the right of workers to unionise in accordance with Nigerian law must be respected.”
Part of the communique after the meeting revealed that Dangote Group would immediately start the reabsorption of sacked workers, while PENGASSAN would suspend the strike.
“Reabsorption of Workers: The Dangote Group management will immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay,” the communique read.
It added, “No Victimisation: Both sides agreed that “no worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse.”
PENGASSAN also confirmed that it would “start the process of calling off the strike”.
