By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Petroleum and Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) has debunked reports that the union. signed an agreement with the Federal Government on the resolution of its face-off with Dangote Refinery.
Festus Osifo, the President, made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking on “The Morning Brief” programme on Channels Television.
He said the document presented at the meeting was not an agreement.
Osifo said the document presented at the meeting was not a communique, but a statement presented by the Minister of Labour, Muhammadu Dingyadi, who acted as the chief conciliator.
“If you see that communiqué, we did not sign it. Normally, it is supposed to be signed by three parties. We did not sign because we felt that some things in it were not okay with us,” he said.
The PENGASSAN leader said the association did not sign the document because it identified grey areas in the document issued at the end of the meeting
He had also said this while addressing the media in Abuja on Wednesday after the resolution of the face-off.
He said the agreement did not fully address the demands of the association because it failed to give specific guarantees that the sacked workers will be returned to their jobs at the refinery and not places outside the jurisdiction of the association.
He said the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union had met and only agreed to suspend the strike as a mark of respect to the sacrifices made by the federal government and other stakeholders to broker peace.
“We have suspended the industrial action in good faith as a demonstration of respect to the government.
Osifo urged the Federal Government to prevail on Dangote Refinery not to renege on the agreement as such could draw the ire of the association,
He said the Union would not hesitate to resume the strike if Dangote Refinery’s management reneges on the agreement to recall the affected staff.
