The National Industrial Court in Abuja has issued an interim order restraining the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and others from embarking on a planned strike against Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim granted the order on Monday while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the refinery, argued by its counsel, George Ibrahim (SAN).
Also affected by the restraining order are the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), all listed as respondents.
Dangote Refinery told the court in a supporting affidavit that it recently relieved some workers over alleged sabotage and safety concerns. It denied sacking staff for joining PENGASSAN, insisting that unionisation was a constitutional right.
The company explained that only a few of its over 3,000 Nigerian employees were affected by the restructuring, contrary to PENGASSAN’s claim that more than 800 workers were laid off.
It said the union had threatened to cripple operations and force a recall of the affected staff, warning the move would harm national energy supply and the economy.
In his ruling, Justice Subilim held that the balance of convenience favoured the claimant, noting that continuation of the strike would cause irreparable harm to the refinery’s operations and disrupt essential services to the Nigerian public.
He restrained the defendants from proceeding with the industrial action for seven days pending the hearing of the substantive motion.
The case was adjourned until October 13 for hearing of the motion on notice.
