The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) says it will continue its strike against Dangote Refinery, even though a court has told them to stop.
In a message signed by the union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN said it has not received any official court order stopping the strike.
“Our attention has been drawn to rumours about a court order stopping our protest. But we want to make it clear that we have not received any official document. Court orders are delivered by officials, not shared on social media,” the union said.
The union and Dangote Refinery are in conflict over labour-related problems that haven’t been resolved.
The union leader told members to keep protesting until they are told otherwise. He also said they should only trust information from the union’s official channels.
“All members should continue the strike. Only updates from our official channels should be trusted,” the statement added.
Okugbawa praised union members for staying strong and said, “This is just the beginning. We are hopeful we will win.”
Court Order
On Monday, a judge at the National Industrial Court in Abuja told PENGASSAN to stop the strike.
This happened after Dangote Refinery filed an urgent request through their lawyer, George Ibrahim.
Ibrahim told the court that Dangote Refinery provides important services for Nigeria’s economy and public well-being.
He said some employees had tried to sabotage the company, which led to changes in staffing to improve safety.
He explained that the refinery employs over 3,000 Nigerians, and only a small number were affected by the changes, which were made for safety reasons.
The judge said if the strike continues, it could badly hurt refinery operations and important services.
He gave a temporary seven-day order to stop the strike and asked for the order to be officially delivered to everyone involved. The next court hearing is on October 13.
Protests
PENGASSAN members are angry over what they say is the illegal firing of over 800 Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.
While the court case continues, the union held protests. On Monday, they blocked the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Abuja.
They also blocked offices of petroleum regulatory bodies in the midstream, downstream, and upstream sectors.
Protesters sang union songs and held signs accusing Dangote Refinery of breaking workers’ rights.
PENGASSAN claims the company fired 800 Nigerian workers and brought in over 2,000 Indian workers to replace them.
Labour’s Accusations
In a circular, the union said Dangote Refinery broke Nigerian labour laws, the Constitution, and international labour agreements.
PENGASSAN told its members to stop supplying crude oil and gas. “All operations in control rooms and fields must stop immediately,” it warned.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) also supported PENGASSAN. Its Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, said, “We fully support the affected workers. No company should be allowed to violate workers’ rights.”
Toro demanded the sacked workers be given their jobs back and asked for a public apology. He also warned that more unions could join the protest.
Dangote’s Defence
Dangote Refinery said it had to make changes after some workers tried to damage company operations. It said most of its workers are still Nigerians and only a few were affected.
The company said PENGASSAN does not have the right to stop crude oil and gas supply.
It accused the union of “criminal behaviour” and damaging the economy. It warned that the strike could disrupt fuel supply and reduce government income.
The company asked the government to step in and stop the union’s actions, saying they could hurt Nigeria’s already weak energy sector.
