Dangote refinery redeploys sacked workers to Borno, Zamfara, others After PENGASSAN crisis
Dangote refinery redeploys sacked workers to Borno, Zamfara, others After PENGASSAN crisis
The Dangote Refinery has re-employed several engineers who were dismissed last month following the dispute between the company and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
It was gathered that the affected engineers, including some graduate trainees, were invited to collect their re-employment and redeployment letters. The workers are now being reassigned to other Dangote projects across the country, including sites in Borno, Zamfara, Benue, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Niger, and Sokoto States.
One of the letters sighted by The PUNCH was titled “Offer of Trainee Engagement” and issued on the letterhead of Dangote Projects Limited. It read in part:
“Based on your performance at the assessment and subsequent interviews held with you, we are pleased to engage you as Engineer Trainee (Mechanical Engineering) for the coal project we are executing at Okpokwu, Benue State. You will undergo classroom and hands-on training for two years, aimed at preparing you to take up a position of responsibility in the organisation.”
The letter, signed by Femi Adekunle, Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, also stated that either party could terminate the trainee engagement with one month’s notice or salary in lieu.
However, some of the engineers expressed concern over the redeployment, citing insecurity in some of the assigned states and unclear reporting instructions.
“The issue with the re-employment is that there’s no office address or location to report to,” one of the engineers said. “Some of these areas are unsafe, and if we fail to report within 14 days, our employment will be terminated. PENGASSAN has advised us not to accept the letters until discussions are concluded.”
A senior Dangote Group official clarified that the agreement with PENGASSAN was to redeploy affected staff to other business units under the conglomerate, both within and outside Nigeria.
The dispute began after the refinery reportedly dismissed hundreds of workers for allegedly joining PENGASSAN.
However, the Dangote refinery stated that it only sacked a few workers who were sabotaging the facility, labeling it a reorganization.
The union responded by shutting down key oil and gas facilities, prompting federal intervention. The Federal Government later directed Dangote Group to reinstate or redeploy the affected workers.
Group President Aliko Dangote recently announced that the company would create 65,000 new construction jobs as it expands the refinery’s capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day, a move that may open new opportunities for the redeployed engineers.
While the company insists the redeployments are part of an internal restructuring process, some workers maintain they are being punished for union activities, a claim the management continues to deny.
Do you think redeploying the sacked engineers to other companies owned by Dangote is fair for both parties? Let’s know your views in the comment section.
