Nigeria court restrains union in Dangote refinery dismissal dispute

Federal officials convened an emergency meeting on Monday as a nationwide labour dispute erupted over the dismissal of employees at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, with unions ordering shutdowns of crude and gas supplies and a court temporarily barring those actions. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, said the refinery had unlawfully dismissed more than 800 Nigerian workers after they joined the union, prompting the association to call an indefinite strike that began with field operations on Sunday and extended to offices from 1201 a.m. on Monday. Dangote Petroleum said the personnel changes were part of a reorganisation prompted by repeated incidents of sabotage and insisted that only a small number of staff were affected and that more than 3,000 Nigerians remain employed at the plant.

Tensions escalated last week after an internal memo dated September 25 directed certain employees to return company property and obtain exit clearances as finance calculated entitlements. PENGASSAN accused management of victimising staff who exercised their constitutional right to freedom of association and, in subsequent directives, ordered members in...