PENGASSAN has accused the Dangote refinery of sacking 800 Nigerians for joining the union, but the company insists only a few workers were dismissed for sabotage.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to picket the Dangote refinery over the alleged dismissal of 800 Nigerian workers who joined the union.
According to PENGASSAN, the affected staff were replaced with more than 2,000 Indian expatriates. The union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, alleged: “As of Thursday, the workers actually completed the process of unionisation… the next thing we saw was the letter, firing all Nigerian staff.”
He added: “In this Nigeria, you’re firing Nigerians and keeping expatriates to work – expatriates that are doing little or nothing compared to what Nigerians can do. Is that reorganisation?”
However, the refinery denied union-busting, insisting the move was part of a “necessary reorganisation” following repeated sabotage. “Only a very small number of staff were affected,” it said, stressing that over 3,000 Nigerians remain employed.
While PENGASSAN has scheduled an emergency NEC meeting to decide its response, the refinery said it would continue to uphold labour rights and safeguard its operations.