PENGASSAN has instructed its members to stop providing gas to Dangote Petroleum Refinery immediately,and all crude oil supply valves to the Refinery should be also shut down.
This development further compounds the ongoing broil between the two giants in the Oil sector.
Encmediaone reported a massive layoff of staff by the Dangote refinery few days ago,claiming reshuffle.
Solidarity and Threat of Shutdown:
PENGASSAN declared unwavering solidarity with NUPENG and threatened a shutdown of the Dangote refinery operations as a "last resort" if issues were not resolved. This was in response to allegations that the refinery management was resisting the unionization of tanker drivers and employees.
NUPENG Action:
NUPENG had previously initiated action, including shutting down depots and blockading the refinery, over the alleged ban on unionism and concerns about the refinery's in-house distribution plan possibly leading to job losses for their members.
Recent Developments:
More recently, PENGASSAN threatened to picket the Dangote refinery following a reorganization/layoff of workers by the company, which the union claims was done without consultation and contravenes legal rights. The refinery stated the reorganization was necessary to address repeated acts of sabotage.
Refinery Response & Court Action: The Dangote Refinery has downplayed the severity of the issues, assuring that fuel supply remains unaffected, and has obtained a court order stopping unions from further blocking its facility.
In summary, PENGASSAN has actively supported NUPENG's protests and made strong threats of industrial action, including a potential shutdown, primarily over unionization rights and, more recently, over the mass termination of staff.
This support amounts to a potential stoppage of services (which includes petroleum delivery) by its members.