The marathon conciliation meeting between the Federal Government, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and the Dangote Group ended without resolution late Monday.
The meeting, which lasted more than nine hours, was called by the Federal Government to address the ongoing industrial dispute following the alleged dismissal of 800 workers by the Dangote Refinery.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Dingyadi, who presided over the talks, told journalists early Tuesday that while some progress had been made, two major issues—reinstatement of the sacked workers and unionisation—remained unresolved.
“We have made a lot of progress, and we are optimistic that by the time we reconvene at 2 p.m. today, we should be able to arrive at a resolution,” he said.
However, PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo insisted that no breakthrough was achieved on the matter of reinstating the dismissed workers.
“All we want is for the 800-plus people who were sent home to be reinstated. These are fathers and mothers whose careers are at stake,” he said.
Osifo added that branding some of the workers as saboteurs had worsened their situation, as such labels could damage their future employment prospects in the oil and gas sector.
He stressed that the union’s industrial action would continue until the affected workers were recalled. “Our position is clear: if you reinstate them now, we will call off the strike immediately. But that reinstatement has not happened, so the strike continues,” he stated.
Osifo further confirmed that the Dangote Group admitted to dismissing the workers. “They agreed that they dismissed 800 people, and the reason was clearly stated in the letters. These letters are already in circulation, so it is not in dispute,” he said.
Also present at the meeting, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, voiced concern over the economic risks posed by the strike.
“We need to limit the damage to the economy. Gas must keep flowing, crude must keep flowing as inputs into production. We cannot afford to break the current momentum of growth,” Edun said, expressing hope that a solution would soon be reached.