The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has ordered its members to halt gas and crude oil supplies to Dangote Petroleum Refinery, escalating a dispute over the alleged victimisation and dismissal of unionised workers.
In a directive circulated to branch leaders, PENGASSAN General Secretary Lumumba Okugbawa accused the refinery’s management of targeting staff for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of association.
“The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has disengaged our members in reaction to their decision to unionise. This illegitimacy cannot stand,” the memo said.
The union instructed the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC) unit to immediately suspend gas deliveries to the refinery. Crude oil supply valves and vessel loading operations were also ordered to be shut down, with branch chairmen required to report on compliance progress.
The move follows a petition from PENGASSAN’s Dangote Refinery Branch alleging forced transfers, inadequate personal protective equipment, poor welfare provisions, wage discrimination, and the dominance of expatriates in management roles.
The union said Nigerian engineers earn less than peers at comparable oil and gas firms, while expatriates receive higher pay and occupy senior positions. It also highlighted unsafe working conditions without hazard allowances or health coverage.
PENGASSAN said the refinery’s practices violate Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association, as well as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied allegations of mass layoffs and anti-labour practices. The company said staff changes were part of an internal reorganisation to improve efficiency and that expatriates were brought in only for technical expertise and knowledge transfer. It confirmed that more than 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the facility.
PENGASSAN has called on government and regulatory authorities to intervene, warning that unresolved disputes could destabilise the oil and gas sector and threaten national energy security.