The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria will suspend its nationwide strike after the Federal Government intervened in its dispute with Dangote Petroleum Refinery management.

The truce was confirmed in a statement signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari-Dingyadi, following a two-day conciliation meeting in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday.

The meeting brought together the National Security Adviser, the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and State for Petroleum (Gas), alongside representatives from the Department of State Security and labour leaders.

The conciliation followed PENGASSAN’s directive for its members to halt gas supply and withdraw services from the refinery.

The communiqué stated that the meeting affirmed workers’ right to unionise as a fundamental principle under Nigerian law, which the company must respect.

It was further agreed that Dangote Group management would immediately redeploy affected workers to other subsidiaries within the group without any loss of pay.

The meeting also resolved that no worker would face victimisation for participating in the dispute between PENGASSAN and the company.

In return, PENGASSAN agreed to begin the process of calling off its strike, with both parties committing to implement the resolutions in good faith.

On Sunday, PENGASSAN directed a nationwide strike in protest against the dismissal of several Nigerian workers by Dangote Refinery.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the union’s General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the decision followed an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council.

Okugbawa described the refinery’s action as a violation of Nigerian labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions.