The Federal Government, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and the Dangote Group over nine hours of intense high-level, negotiations, conciliation meeting ended in a deadlock late last night.
The deadlock has left the fate of over 800 sacked workers hanging in the balance and the ongoing nationwide industrial action unresolved.
The meeting, convened by the Federal Government to avert further disruption to Nigeria’s energy sector, was attended by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; PENGASSAN delegates led by its President, Comrade Festus Osifo; and top representatives of Nigerian Tribune.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Comrade Osifo expressed deep disappointment over the failure to reach an agreement, stressing that the union’s position remained firm on the immediate reinstatement of the 800 workers dismissed by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
“We have been here for nine hours trying to find a solution. We’ve had numerous deliberations, even breaking into smaller teams to explore all possible resolutions, but unfortunately, there is no solution tonight,” Osifo lamented.
According to him, the mass sack has placed the affected workers and their families in a dire situation.
“All we want is justice for the over 800 people who were sacked. These people are fathers and mothers, and their careers are now at stake. When you terminate people the way they have been terminated, it becomes extremely difficult for them to find jobs anywhere,” he explained.
Osifo added that some of those dismissed were trainees who had been accused of sabotage, a stigma he said could permanently ruin their careers in the oil and gas industry.
“If they go home like this, there is no other company in Nigeria that will employ them because they have been labelled saboteurs. These are careers that would be destroyed if a proper remedy is not put in place,” he stated.
Reiterating the union’s stance, the PENGASSAN leader declared that the strike continues until the workers are reinstated.
“Our position has been very clear: if you reinstate these people tonight, we will call off our action tonight. But unfortunately, that reinstatement did not happen, and we were not able to reach a conclusion. So, they have asked us to come back again by 2 p.m. today. We pray that God touches the heart of the capitalists, the hearts of the oppressors, to call our people back to work. Until then, the strike continues,” Osifo vowed.
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