Dangote To Redeploy Disengaged Refinery Workers, Says Federal Government

The Federal Government has announced that workers recently disengaged from Dangote Refinery operations will be redeployed across other companies within the Dangote Group without any loss of pay.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, following the resolution of a standoff between the refinery management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

“After examining the procedure used in the disengagement of workers, the meeting agreed that the management of Dangote Group shall immediately begin the process of redeploying the disengaged staff to other companies within the Dangote Group, with no loss of pay,” Dingyadi said.

He added that “no worker will be victimised arising from their role in the impasse between Dangote and PENGASSAN.”

According to him, both parties had reached a compromise during the conciliation meetings. “PENGASSAN agreed to start the process of calling off the strike. Both parties agreed to this understanding in good faith,” he said.

The minister also stressed the rights of workers to freely associate, noting that “unionisation is a right of workers in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, and this right should be respected.”

The agreement followed days of tense negotiations after earlier talks ended in deadlock on Monday. The dispute began when PENGASSAN accused the refinery of mass transfers and dismissals of its members, alongside the replacement of some Nigerian staff with foreign workers.

The union described the move as a violation of labour laws and an attack on local employment rights. However, the refinery management denied the allegations, insisting that the reorganisation was strictly based on operational needs and unrelated to union activities.

The standoff escalated after PENGASSAN halted gas and crude oil supplies to the refinery, raising fears of potential disruptions to Nigeria’s energy supply and economic stability.

The Federal Government intervened, warning of the “adverse effects on the economy and energy security” if the dispute lingered, and convened high-level talks that eventually produced Wednesday’s truce.