Some of the engineers sacked by the Dangote refinery for allegedly joining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria have decried the plan to redeploy them to sugar, cement and other business units under the Dangote Group.
The workers, who spoke with The PUNCH anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the company was victimising them for unionisation.
However, the Dangote media team debunked these claims on Wednesday, saying there are PENGASSAN members still working in the refinery.
PENGASSAN shut down oil and gas facilities between Sunday and Tuesday last week over allegations that 800 refinery workers were fired for volunteering to be members of the union.
But the Dangote refinery said it only sacked a few workers who were sabotaging the facility, tagging it reorganisation.
Oil and gas workers went on strike in defence of their colleagues, causing the nation losses in oil and gas production as well as a drop in power generation.
The intervention of the Federal Government restored peace as the Dangote Group was asked to redeploy the sacked workers.
Speaking with our correspondent, the workers said they have yet to be recalled or redeployed as of Tuesday.
Sources within the Dangote Group had earlier told our correspondent that the company was ready to redeploy the engineers to its sugar and cement plants.
It was learnt that the company would also recruit new engineers to replace the redeployed ones, and the redeployment would be a huge loss to the company.
Our correspondent also gathered that some of the 800 workers could be deployed to units within the group’s operations outside the country.
But the affected workers said they were not pleased with the development.
According to them, their appointment letters showed that they were specifically employed by the refinery and not the Dangote Group, saying being transferred out of the company that employed them would be unfair to them, and wondering how a petrochemical engineer would cope at a sugar plant.
“It is victimisation. How will you redeploy us from the refinery to sugar or cement plants? It is not fair. Most of us weren’t employed by the Dangote Group; we were employed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals. If we were employed by the Dangote Group, we would know that we could be redeployed from one unit to another. This is like victimising us. Some of us are petrochemical engineers; how do you want them to cope? It is affecting some of us psychologically,” they said.
The engineers disclosed that they have been sitting at home since September 25, after the company issued a letter to sack all staff, though the company said it sacked a few workers for sabotage.
According to the engineers, 800 of them were asked to stay away pending when they would be redeployed. They recalled that previous attempts to access the refinery were rebuffed by security agents at the gate.
“Currently we are at home; we are not allowed to go into the refinery. The management said they would get back to us as far as the redeployments are done, but we have not heard anything so far. There were times when we tried to enter the refinery, but we were sent back. There are pictures of those incidents,” they said.
It was stated that Indian nationals were the only ones operating the refinery at the moment, as all Nigerian engineers were sent away for joining the union.
“At the moment, only Indians are running the refinery. All Nigerian engineers were sacked because we joined PENGASSAN,“ they alleged.
Recall that the refinery had earlier dismissed this allegation, saying, “Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our petroleum refinery at present. Only a very small number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
Speaking further, the workers explained that they wouldn’t have joined PENGASSAN if they were well paid. They clarified that the decision to join PENGASSAN came after the Dangote management announced that workers were free to unionise.
“We wouldn’t have joined PENGASSAN if we were well paid. Our salary is around N400,000, and after deductions, it falls below that.
“We didn’t plan to join PENGASSAN; the management announced it themselves that workers were free to unionise. We joined PENGASSAN, and it became an issue,” they expressed worries.
On allegations of sabotage, the engineers declared their love for the $20bn refinery, saying they would never sabotage a facility they helped build.
“We cannot sabotage the refinery. We love the refinery. Some of us built it from the beginning. How can we sabotage what we built? It is not possible. We’ve been very committed, and we were doing everything to ensure the success of the plant for the good of all Nigerians.
“As it is, we are all waiting for our posting letters. There’s nothing we can do now because the issue has become a national issue. The presidency is now involved. But we are not guilty of anything. Our only ‘crime’ is that we joined PENGASSAN,” the engineers submitted.
Dangote Group debunks allegations
Meanwhile, the Dangote Group debunked the claims of the affected workers
According to the group, the engineers were sacked for sabotaging the facility and not because they joined PENGASSAN.
A senior official of the company told our correspondent that PENGASSAN members are still working within the refinery presently.
“Those guys were sacked because of their acts of sabotage. Nobody is victimising them. Their September salary has been paid. Can we call that victimisation? They were not sacked for joining PENGASSAN. We have PENGASSAN members still working with us.
“They should also know that all of us in Dangote can be moved to anywhere within the company. You can be moved from cement to refinery, sugar, salt or fertiliser. That is the business. Many of us have been moved in the past,” the official noted.
He denied the allegation that the engineers were paid below N400,000 as salaries.
“The claim of a N400,000 monthly salary is an outright falsehood; it is far more than that,” he emphasised.
The PUNCH recalls that the Dangote refinery had in recent weeks come under fierce attacks. It began with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, which accused the plant of “monopolistic practices and unfair pricing” after slashing petrol prices.
The marketers alleged that Dangote’s price reductions placed them at a disadvantage and demanded government intervention.
NUPENG clashed with the refinery over workers’ rights, saying Dangote prevented tanker drivers from unionisation. The association shut down the refinery and fuel depots despite a government-brokered agreement.
The crisis escalated when PENGASSAN entered the fray, condemning the mass dismissal of hundreds of workers.
The union responded by directing a halt to crude and gas supplies, sparking nationwide disruptions and fuel queues.
Government mediation eased tension, but stakeholders are waiting for the implementation of agreements reached by all parties during the conciliation meeting organised by the government.
On Tuesday, prominent Nigerians, including the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi; Bishop Mathew Kukah; Aisha Yesufu and others, spoke in defence of Dangote, warning union leaders against acts that could scare away investors.
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