The Federal Government has urged the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to reconsider its proposed strike starting on Monday over its dispute with Dangote Refinery.
This development comes as PENGASSAN has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike starting Monday over the recent sacking of Nigerian workers and alleged anti-labour practices at the refinery.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, made this known on Sunday while appealing to the union to reconsider its strike declaration in order to give room for dialogue and an amicable resolution of the dispute.
According to a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday evening by Patience Onuobia, Head of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Minister disclosed that his ministry has taken swift steps to bring both the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to the negotiation table.
Dingyadi said invitations have been extended to the leadership of PENGASSAN and the management of Dangote Refinery to attend an emergency meeting in his office on Monday for the conciliation of the dispute.
The Minister called on the leadership of PENGASSAN to withdraw the strike declaration to allow his office to conciliate the dispute in a peaceful atmosphere.
The Minister urged the feuding parties to give peace a chance, assuring them that the Federal Government would resolve the dispute amicably to the satisfaction of all the parties involved and in the national interest.
The face-off between oil workers’ union PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery has escalated, as the union orders a nationwide withdrawal of services following the sack of over 800 workers.
