By Christian Appolos

Copyright tribuneonlineng

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Dangote Refinery have reached an agreement, leading to the immediate suspension of a nationwide strike that had threatened to disrupt fuel supply across the country.

The breakthrough came after a reconvened meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday, following days of tense negotiations that had previously ended in a stalemate.

The industrial action was initiated by NUPENG in protest of alleged anti-union practices by the Dangote Group, particularly the company’s policy regarding the unionisation of its workers.

The strike, which began on Monday, had already caused panic and a shutdown of fuel loading activities at various depots nationwide.

The action had been described by NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha, as a stand against what he termed “anti-worker and anti-union practices” and an attempt by the Dangote Group to “enslave” workers.

The Dangote Group, however, had maintained that the strike would not cause fuel scarcity.

According to a source at the negotiation meeting, the resolution was achieved after intense dialogue and the intervention of government officials and other key stakeholders.

NUPENG has since instructed its members to return to work immediately.

This resolution brings to an end a tense standoff and averts a potential major economic crisis, as the strike had been supported by other major labor bodies, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).