Support staff of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) have embarked on an indefinite strike, grounding operations at the facility in protest against what they describe as poor working conditions and neglect by the management.
The protest, which began at the refinery’s main gate, saw a large number of workers carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs. The aggrieved staff blocked the company’s entrance, vowing not to vacate the premises until their demands are met.
According to the leader of the support staff, Dafe Ighomiteso, the group constitutes 80% of the workforce and has been agitating since 2015 for improved conditions of service.
“It’s sad to note that we are here protesting against workplace slavery,” Ighomiteso said, decrying the current welfare package, which he said falls far below industry standards.
He revealed that cleaners at the facility only recently began earning ₦34,500 monthly, while engineers and technicians among the support staff receive between ₦90,000 and ₦165,000 — all without basic benefits such as insurance, medical care, housing, transportation, or meal allowances.
“Some of us have worked here for up to 18 years with no pension, no health coverage, no allowances of any kind. We are not slaves,” he stressed.
The protesters emphasized that their demands were not unreasonable, calling only for welfare commensurate with other support staff across the SBUs and CSUs of the NNPC, especially considering the hazardous nature of refinery work.
“We are supposed to be protesting against casualization. Even the law frowns on it, but nobody is speaking for us,” Ighomiteso lamented.
Another protester, Innocent Ileleji, a cleaner/gardener, reiterated that they have been on the same low wage since 2013, with some still owed salary arrears.
“We can’t survive on ₦34,500. We were promised a salary review over a decade ago, but nothing has changed,” he said.
Elohor Poko, another support staff member, appealed to the General Chief Officer (GCO) of the facility to urgently intervene and address their long-standing grievances.
Meanwhile, an insider at WRPC, speaking anonymously, confirmed that most sections of the refinery are non-operational due to ongoing maintenance, with only the Turbine Unit still running. He disclosed that the refinery is 60% completed in its current rehabilitation phase.
Efforts to reach WRPC management for comment were unsuccessful as officials declined to speak on the issue.
The protesters, while expressing support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda to revive Nigeria’s refineries, urged his administration to ensure that support staff welfare is not left behind.
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