PENGASSAN Threatens Showdown With Dangote Refinery Over Mass Sack Of Nigerian Workers

By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE

THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has issued a stern ultimatum to the management of Dangote Refinery, demanding the recall of over 800 Nigerian workers allegedly sacked and replaced with foreign nationals.

In a statement signed by Lumumba Okungbowa, General Secretary of PENGASSAN, the union described the mass termination as a clear case of anti-labour practices and a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws.

According to PENGASSAN, workers who joined the union at the refinery faced reprisals, including being denied entry into the premises, stripped of transport privileges, and eventually handed mass termination notices.

The association accused the refinery of engaging more than 2,000 Indian workers, many of whom it claimed lack valid immigration papers, to take over the roles of displaced Nigerians.

“We are deeply saddened to report the unjust termination of more than 800 Nigerian workers, whose dedication and service have been integral to the operations of this plant. Instead of valuing and retaining them, management has chosen to replace these qualified Nigerians with foreign workers, in clear breach of the Labour Act and the Trade Union Act,” the statement read.

PENGASSAN warned that it would activate every legal option available under the Constitution and relevant labour laws if the refinery failed to recall the workers.

An emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting has been scheduled to determine the union’s next line of action, while it urged Nigerians to support the struggle against what it termed “slave labour” at the facility.

“This slave labour of our brothers and sisters must not be supported. An injury to one is an injury to all,” the union said.