Dangote Industries has come out to deny allegations of mass sack of its workers due to union activities. Recall that the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, recently alleged that Nigerian workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals were sacked shortly after joining the union.
Reacting, Dangote Group revealed that the dismissals were due to an ongoing reorganisation in response to alleged sabotage in some refinery units.
According to a senior company official, both Nigerian and expatriate staff remain employed, and the reorganisation only affects certain individuals due to specific discoveries.
“Yes, the letter is correct. But the interpretation is wrong. The interpretation is that it affects some people because of certain things discovered in the refinery. It has nothing to do with unionism or anything like that.
It doesn’t mean they have been sacked. That is incorrect. What was done was to put a check in place. It is more like a clean-up in the system to check where those sabotage and leakages are coming from and then address them. As soon as the issues are addressed, they will be reabsorbed. That is why it is not a sack and that word wasn’t used,” he said.
The official further noted that the exercise had to be carried out suddenly to prevent those involved in the alleged sabotage from concealing their actions.
He concluded by saying that Dangote Group had to act quickly to protect its vital assets.
”Some acts of sabotage have been noticed repeatedly and the company is only trying to safeguard its assets. Also, you cannot do things like this and give two weeks’ notice; otherwise, those in the act would cover up and complicate issues,” he added.
