BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – Desperate moves by Federal Government to mediate between the management of Dangote Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over the alleged mass sack of union members ended in a stalemate on Monday night.
Despite stretching into the late hours of the day, the meeting, which started at about 3: 30 p.m. at the Minister of Labour and Employment’s Conference Hall in Abuja, ended abruptly few minutes after midnight without both sides reaching any agreement.
But insider sources hinted that there seems to have been a gentleman’s agreement for the talks to resume on Tuesday, September 30 at 2:00 p.m, even as stakeholders and the government expressed concerns over the potential adverse impact the dispute will have on the nation’s economy and energy security.
Both sides were summoned to the negotiating table following reports of widespread discontent by from PENGASSAN which accused Dangote Refinery of embarking on the mass transfer and sack of union members from its employ.
The oil union also alleged that the conglomerate was already replacing some Nigerians with foreign nationals, a claim consistently denied by the Dangote group.
PENGASSAN’s delegation to the stalemated was led by its President, Festus Osifo, alongside the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Nuhu Toro, while the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammad Dingyadi, led the government delegation, with the Dangote Refinery represented by senior management officials.
However, originally scheduled for 2:00 p.m., the meeting only commenced at about 3:50 p.m following the late arrival of key stakeholders.
Before moving into a closed-door session that eventually lasted several hours, the Labour Minister, Dingyadi had emphasized the gravity of the situation, saying: “What’s happening today is very dear to our economy and to the security of the country. We have been informed that PENGASSAN is on strike.”
Appealing to both parties to demonstrate good faith in their engagement, Dingyadi said industrial peace in the oil and gas sector was critical at a time Nigeria is banking on the Dangote Refinery to boost local refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
Sources at the meeting told Forefront that with both parties refusing to dhift grounds, tension ran high at the meeting, with PENGASSAN maintaining that its members will not resume work until the alleged anti-labour practices by the Refinery are reversed.
On its part, the management of Dangote Group is insisting that it has not ran foul of any law as the ongoing restructuring exercise is in line with global best practices
With the next round of talks holding later today, stakeholders are expectant that an agreement would be reached to avert a full-blown industrial crisis in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry given the ongoing nationwide mobilisation of workers by the NLC.
