A major disruption in Nigeria’s oil sector was averted yesterday after the Directorate of State Services (DSS) brokered a truce between Dangote Refinery and labour unions.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had threatened a nationwide strike over allegations that the refinery barred new drivers from joining unions, with backing from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).
At a meeting convened by the Labour Ministry ended in deadlock, but a follow-up session in Abuja, chaired by DSS Director-General Tosin Adeola Ajayi, produced an agreement that allows refinery workers to unionise within two weeks.
Labour Minister Muhammad Dingyadi confirmed the strike was suspended after the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Dangote Group, NUPENG, NLC, TUC, and regulators.
The agreement guarantees workers’ freedom of association, protection from victimisation, and immediate commencement of unionisation processes.
The truce eased fears of petrol shortages that had already triggered panic buying and price hikes in Akure and Abakaliki.