The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket Dangote Refinery following the alleged dismissal of 800 Nigerian workers.
According to the union, the affected staff were sacked shortly after joining PENGASSAN, while more than 2,000 expatriates from India were retained.
The development has sparked outrage, with the association accusing the refinery of discrimination and anti-labour practices.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, PENGASSAN said:
“The dismissal of such a significant number of Nigerian workers without due consultation or any transparent justification contravenes the legal rights granted to all employees in Nigeria.”
However, Dangote Refinery denied that the dismissals were tied to unionisation.
The company insisted that only a small number of staff were affected in what it called an “ongoing reorganisation.”
A management letter that surfaced online partly read:
“In view of the many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the petroleum refinery leading to major safety concerns, the management is constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant.”
The refinery later clarified in a public statement that:
“Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery at present.
Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talents through our graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
Despite the explanation, PENGASSAN linked the mass dismissal directly to unionisation.
Okugbawa alleged that management acted after confirming that over 800 staff had completed the process of joining the association.
“When the witch cries in the night and the baby dies in the morning, what do you expect?” he asked.
“The workers completed the process of unionisation as directed by the Federal Government… the next thing we saw was the sack letter.”
He further claimed that expatriates were untouched during the exercise.
“They said they wanted to reorganise. Is it only expatriates that will do the reorganisation? All the over 2,000 expatriates from India were asked to continue with their jobs,” Okugbawa alleged.
PENGASSAN stressed that its members were protected under the Labour Act and the Trade Union Act.
Okugbawa described the move as discriminatory, adding:
“Furthermore, we will not tolerate this blatant disregard for the rights of Nigerian workers… The recent organisation of these workers as members of PENGASSAN underscores their collective power and right to protection under the law.”
The union warned that it was prepared to escalate the matter.
“Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to commence exploring all sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the relevant labour laws,” the statement said.
This dispute is the latest in a series of clashes between Dangote Refinery and labour unions.
Earlier this month, tanker drivers under the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) staged a blockade, accusing management of preventing their unionisation.
The refinery secured a court order to halt further disruptions, but tensions remain high.
PENGASSAN has now hinted at protests or picketing, pending approval from its National Executive Council.
