The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended the monthly salaries of engineers dismissed in September during its dispute with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
Management maintains that the affected engineers were offered redeployment to other projects within the Dangote Group — including coal-mining operations in Benue, road construction activities in Borno and Ebonyi, and rice mills in states such as Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara — but many reportedly refused the offers. According to company officials, those who declined redeployment cannot continue to receive salaries, describing the measure as a standard administrative response following personnel restructuring.
However, the engineers have condemned the decision, describing the salary freeze as an act of victimisation. They argue that the redeployment letters lacked proper office addresses and detailed locations, while in some cases the postings were to regions perceived as unsafe. Several of the affected workers insist that accepting such unclear or risky redeployment would amount to voluntarily ending their employment.
The crisis stems from a wider labour dispute earlier in the year, when hundreds of workers were dismissed—an action the union said targeted members who joined PENGASSAN. That conflict triggered a nationwide strike that affected refinery operations and disrupted fuel supply across several states.
In October 2025, the federal government intervened through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, brokering a truce between the union and Dangote Group. The agreement included assurances that dismissed workers would be redeployed within the conglomerate without loss of pay, and that no staff member would be punished for union activities. Following this, PENGASSAN suspended its strike but insisted it would monitor compliance.
The current salary suspension has now reignited tensions, with PENGASSAN accusing the company of violating the spirit of the earlier agreement. The union says it is still in talks with management and prefers further negotiation over immediate industrial action. Nonetheless, it has signalled readiness to escalate if the situation persists without resolution.
Meanwhile, the affected engineers say they have been left in a precarious position, with no valid job placement and no pay since November. Many of them fear prolonged financial hardship, especially amid rising economic pressures and uncertainty about their employment future within the company.
As both sides hold their positions, analysts warn that the rift could intensify if urgent steps are not taken to rebuild trust and implement the terms of the earlier truce. For now, the fate of the suspended engineers remains uncertain, and stakeholders await the outcomes of ongoing negotiations that could determine the stability of labour relations at one of Nigeria’s most critical industrial assets.
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