PENGASSAN Strike: Dangote Agrees to Recall 800 Sacked Staff

The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals has agreed to reabsorb about 800 workers recently disengaged from its operations, following high-level reconciliation talks with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The truce was reached after a marathon meeting held on Monday, September 29, and Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). The talks were convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to resolve the labour crisis that had threatened gas supply to the refinery and triggered a nationwide strike notice by PENGASSAN.

Stakeholders at the Meeting

The meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser, Ministers of Labour and Employment, Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, as well as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary. Also present were the Directors-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), heads of NMDPRA and NUPRC, representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the management of Dangote Group, the leadership of PENGASSAN, and officials of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Resolution Reached

In a communique signed by Labour Minister Dr. Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, it was agreed that; The disengaged staff will be reabsorbed into other companies within the Dangote Group without loss of pay.

No worker will be victimised for their role in the industrial action.

The right of workers to unionise, as guaranteed under Nigerian labour law, must be respected.

The management of Dangote Refinery explained that the mass disengagement was due to an internal reorganisation exercise, while PENGASSAN insisted it was an unfair labour practice.

VANGUARD