There are strong indications Wednesday morning, that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) may suspend its ongoing strike following a truce brokered by the Federal Government with the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
After lengthy deliberations at conciliation meetings held in Abuja on September 29 and 30, 2025, both parties accepted a five-point resolution.
Minister of Labour and employment, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, in a communique after the meeting reaffirmed that unionisation is a statutory right of workers under Nigerian law, which must be upheld.
It was further agreed that the affected sacked workers would be absorbed into other companies within the Dangote Group without any loss of pay, while no employee would be victimised for their role in the dispute.
The communique reads, “After a lengthy discussion, the matter was resolved as follows”:
“The Honourable Minister of Labour informed the meeting that unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria and that this right should be respected.
After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately start the process of taking the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay”.
“No worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN. PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith”, the communique added.
The resolutions were reached in the presence of senior government officials, including the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) and the heads of NMDPRA and NUPRC, and representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) also participated in the discussions alongside PENGASSAN executives and Dangote management.
Recall that the dispute arose after the refinery disengaged over 800 PENGASSAN members, prompting the union to issue a directive for the suspension of gas supply and a nationwide withdrawal of services.
PENGASSAN accused the company of anti-labour practices, while Dangote management defended the move as part of an internal reorganisation process.
