*Refinery Denies Allegation, Says Reorganised Workforce Over Sabotage
THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has summoned a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to address alleged Dangote Refinery’s sack its workers for belonging to the union.
National President of PENGASSAN, who also doubles as President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, said on Friday, September 26, that the union would arrive at the best action against the Refinery at the gathering, scheduled for the weekend.
He stated: “We will call for an emergency NEC meeting by the weekend to decide on the way forward,” assuring that all the sacked workers would be recalled.
This followed the reported terminatation of the appointment of all its Nigerian workers after they joined PENGASSAN, which alleged that Nigerian workers at the refinery were dismissed shortly after joining the union, accusing management of intimidation and violation of constitutional rights.
It was alleged that the mass sack occurred within 24 hours of the formation of the Caretaker Committee of the Branch Executive Council and the submission of the first batch of unionised members’ list to management on September 25, and shortly after the management circulated a list to verify voluntary union membership.
According to a source: “A meeting was held with members, during which they were asked to indicate their membership in PENGASSAN. Overwhelmingly, staff at the refinery affirmed YES.”
PENGASSAN further alleged that intimidation began on the evening of the same day when staff buses were withdrawn, forcing workers to pay up to ₦4,000 for transportation to resume work, adding that between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm, Nigerian staff who had joined PENGASSAN were denied entry into the refinery premises, while expatriate staff were allowed access.
“At about 9:59 pm, workers received a mass termination email addressed to ‘all staff’ of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE,” the union sais in a statement.
It noted that security operatives were ordered to arrest and detain its caretaker committee chairman, describing this as an attempt to intimidate labour leaders, arguing that these actions violated Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees the right to freely assemble and associate.
PENGASSAN described the dismissals as targeted intimidation disguised as a reorganisation exercise.
In reaction to the allegations, the refinery denied any mass sack, insisting a reorganisation was underway in response to alleged sabotage in some refinery units.
In a letter, dated September 24, and signed by the Chief General Manager, Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, the refinery said it was “constrained to carry out a total reorganisation of the plant,” following “many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the Petroleum Refinery leading to major safety concerns.”
Affected staff were directed to hand over all company property to their line managers and await clearance before receiving their entitlements, which the Finance Department would compute in line with their conditions of service.
The letter, addressed to all staff of Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE and Dangote Industries Free Zone Development Company, read: “In view of the many recent cases of reported sabotage in different units of the Petroleum Refinery leading to major safety concerns, the Management is constrained to carry out a total re-organisation of the plant.
“As a consequence of this development, we wish to inform you that your services are no longer required, with effect from the eve of Thursday, the 25th September, 2025.
“Please surrender all the Company’s properties in your possession to your line manager and obtain an exit clearance accordingly, but the date for doing so will be communicated to you later.
“The Finance Department, by a copy of this letter, is advised to compute all your benefits and entitlements in line with your terms of employment and conditions of service and pay the amount due to you (less all indebtedness), subject to the condition that you have obtained the exit clearance certificate as mentioned above.
“We seize this opportunity to thank you for your services while you were in our employment.”
A senior official told Punch on Friday that both Nigerian and expatriate staff remain employed and that the reorganisation affects certain individuals due to specific discoveries, reiterating that it was unrelated to union activities.
According to him: “Yes, the letter is correct, but the interpretation is wrong. The interpretation is that it affects some people because of certain things discovered in the refinery. It has nothing to do with unionism or anything like that.
“It doesn’t mean they have been sacked. That is incorrect. What was done was to put a check in place. It is more like a clean-up in the system to check where those sabotage and leakages are coming from and then address them.
“As soon as the issues are addressed, they will be reabsorbed. That is why it is not a sack and that word wasn’t used.”
He noted that the exercise had to be carried out suddenly to prevent those involved in the alleged sabotage from concealing their actions, adding: “Some acts of sabotage have been noticed repeatedly and the company is only trying to safeguard its assets.
“Also, you cannot do things like this and give two weeks’ notice. Otherwise, those in the act would cover up and complicate issues.”
The official insisted that operations were ongoing and that both Nigerian and expatriate staff were still actively working at the plant.
Recall that earlier in the month, PENGASSAN and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) accused management of the refinery of resisting unionisation, despite a government-brokered agreement affirming employees’ right to join unions.
The unions had accused the company of “high-handedness,” warning against what it described as an emerging pattern of unfair labour practices, claiming its management discouraged open support for the unions, which the refinery dismissed as blackmail.
The refinery and oil sector workers’ unions have disagreed over unionisation of the workers, with the former securing a seven-day interim injunction early this month to stop PENGASSAN and NUPENG from embarking on strike.
It is also having disagreement with the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DPPMAN) over product pricing and distribution arrangements
The refinery, which commenced production in 2024, with high expectations of an end to Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
