The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has clarified that it did not sign the communiqué that ended its recent strike against Dangote Refinery.

The union suspended its nationwide strike on Wednesday after government intervention, but insisted its concerns were not fully addressed.

Appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, PENGASSAN president, Festus Osifo, said the document presented at the meeting was not an agreement.

“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.

Osifo stressed that the statement was only a communication from the Minister of Labour and Employment, acting as chief conciliator.

“When we subjected it to our NEC, we had to decide on priorities. Some media houses claimed we were only interested in check-up dues.

“That is false. What we prioritised was how our members would return to work and provide for their families.”

The union president said PENGASSAN’s position was clear: “Take the people back to the refinery.”

He added that Dangote initially refused to reabsorb the disengaged workers until the government pushed for a compromise.