More than 3,000 Nigerians Workers still at Work in Refinery…
By Our Reporter
The Management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has refuted claims by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria ,PENGASSAN, of mass sacking of its staff for joining the Association.
The refinery which regarded the allegation as unfounded and misleading, stated that the re-organisation within its workforce was aimed at enhancing operations and addressing repeated acts of sabotage.
The Management informed that more than 3,000 Nigerians, despite the re-organisation exercise, have continued to work actively at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The Refinery said: “…Over 3,000 Nigerians continue to work actively in our Petroleum Refinery, at present. Only a minimal number of staff were affected, as we continue to recruit Nigerian talent through our various graduate trainee programmes and experienced hire recruitment process.”
The Refinery noted that the reorganization had become imperative due to the frequent cases of sabotage within the facility, which created safety risks and disrupted operations.
“The foregoing decision was taken in the best interest of the Refinery as a result of intermittent cases of sabotage in the various units of the Refinery with dire consequences on human life and related safety concerns. We remain vigilant to our internal systems and vulnerabilities to ensure the long-term stability of this strategic national asset. It is imperative to protect the refinery for the benefit of Nigerians, our partners across Africa, and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on it,” the statement noted.
Reassuring employees and stakeholders, the refinery reaffirmed its commitment to internationally accepted labour principles, including workers’ freedom to decide on union membership without interference.
The statement stressed that the reorganization is an audit process to safeguard the long-term stability of what it described as a strategic national asset.
Dangote petrochemical refinery assured that it would continue to work in partnership with regulators, employees, and stakeholders in order to uphold the best safety standards,transparency, and accountability in its dealings.
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