The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its three-day-old industrial action following an agreement brokered by the Federal Government.
In the agreement signed by PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery Group on Tuesday night, the company agreed to reabsorb the over 800 staff who had been sacked for allegedly joining the union.
Addressing a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, said the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union met and resolved to suspend the strike as a mark of respect to the sacrifices made by the federal government and other stakeholders to broker peace.
“We have suspended the industrial action. And in good faith, as a demonstration to the government that we respect institutions, as a demonstration to the government that we are extremely patient. But this suspended action will come back if there is a breach of the agreement,” he said.
Osifo, however, stated that the agreement did not fully address the demands of PENGASSAN, as it failed to give specific guarantees that the sacked workers will be returned to their jobs at the refinery and not placed outside the jurisdiction of the association. He said the union accepted the deal but has pointed out the grey areas to the federal government.
According to the PENGASSAN President, the federal government should prevail on Dangote Refinery not to renege on the agreement because such a stance would draw the wrath of workers in the oil and gas industry. He warned that the union would not hesitate to resume the strike immediately if the management fails to recall the affected staff. “We will not give any warning. We will resume the suspended industrial action immediately,” he said.
The PENGASSAN president also responded to what he described as wrong assertions and misconceptions about the union’s motives. He clarified that PENGASSAN was not pursuing check-off dues as alleged, but rather protecting young oil and gas workers who voluntarily agreed to be part of the union.
On the allegation of sabotaging the company, Osifo dismissed it, stating that PENGASSAN has members in big multinational oil companies operating in the country and has contributed to their progress and growth.
The strike by the oil workers, which persisted for three days and literally shut down the country’s oil and gas sector, was resolved after the federal government intervened. The meeting was moved from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), where both sides finally agreed to a truce.
