The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has issued an order preventing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) from disrupting the operations of Spie Services Nigeria Ltd at the AKPO FPSO offshore facility.
On March 25, 2025, Justice Nelson Ogbuanya of the Owerri Division ruled on a Motion filed by Spie Services, seeking to restrain PENGASSAN from interfering with its operations. The company requested an interlocutory injunction to prevent the union from carrying out any industrial action, including blocking access to the AKPO FPSO facility, until the court resolves the main dispute.
The case stems from a letter dated February 16, in which PENGASSAN issued a 72-hour strike notice, threatening to shut down Spie Services’ operations due to its refusal to allow unionization of workers at the facility.
Justice Ogbuanya found that the claimant, Spie Services, had shown sufficient evidence that its contractual rights were under threat from PENGASSAN’s actions. He noted that the union’s ongoing threats and steps toward industrial action could undermine Spie Services’ business operations. The judge stressed that while the union’s right to organize workers is part of the ongoing dispute, this was not a matter to be addressed at the interlocutory stage.
The court emphasized that an interlocutory injunction aims to prevent irreparable harm before a full hearing. In this case, the judge ruled that Spie Services had made a strong case for judicial intervention to maintain the status quo.
As a result, the court granted the injunction, forbidding PENGASSAN, its affiliates, and agents from taking any steps to disrupt Spie Services’ operations at the AKPO FPSO facility until the substantive suit is decided. The court made no order for costs.
