Support staff of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) on Monday morning, shut down operations at the refinery and staged a peaceful protest over alleged poor remuneration, denial of workers’ benefits and delay in implementing a new salary package.
The support workers numbering over 300, gathered at the entrance of the facility, where the Lead Representative of the WRPC Support Staff, Dafe Ighomitedo, spoke on their grievances.
The protest followed years of complaints by the workers over what they described as poor welfare and repeated promises by authorities to improve their conditions.
Ighomitedo said an unexpected visit by the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Bayo Ojulari, to the refinery earlier this year had raised hopes that the issues would finally be resolved.
He disclosed that they were reliably informed that their demands had been approved effective October 1, 2026.
“The NNPCL GCEO promised that our demands would be attended to, and we were reliably informed that it has been approved effective 1st October 2026,” Ighomitedo stressed.
The workers said they were therefore concerned by reports that implementation of the approved package could be delayed until January 2027.
“After more than a decade of waiting, another delay is unacceptable,” the workers said.
They are demanding immediate implementation of the reported new salary package, alongside the restoration of benefits they said they have been denied for more than a decade.
The benefits listed by the workers include housing, transport, meal/lunch, hazard, medical, leave, insurance and pension allowances.
The support staff said they currently earn between N90,000 and N165,000 monthly, which they described as inadequate.
“Our demand is not sudden. We have been asking for these basic benefits and improved salaries for more than a decade,” Ighomitedo said.
The workers also demanded a comprehensive and properly documented condition of service.
Related News
They called for transparency over a reported plan to rationalise about 40 per cent of the workforce as part of the ongoing restructuring of the refineries.
They are demanding an appropriate and comprehensive severance package for all existing support staff affected by any restructuring, rationalisation or termination of the current employment arrangement.
According to them, management could thereafter determine which workers it wishes to retain or re-engage under a fresh employment arrangement, with clearly defined salaries, allowances, benefits and conditions of service.
“Those selected for retention should be allowed to start afresh under a new employment arrangement,” they said.
Ighomitedo also appealed to Ojulari to personally intervene to ensure that decisions approved by the NNPCL leadership are implemented without administrative delays.
The workers said their protest was not aimed at confrontation, but at drawing the attention of NNPCL management and relevant authorities to their longstanding grievances.
“We are not looking for confrontation. We are asking for fairness, transparency, dignity and justice,” they said.
The shutdown affected support operations at the Warri refinery, which currently generates power for the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) and other facilities in the area.
It would be noted that the workers had repeatedly downed tools over similar demands in previous years, as successive promises to resolve the issues had not yielded lasting results.
They urged NNPCL management to engage their representatives and resolve the issues through dialogue.
NNPCL management had not, as of the time of filing this report, publicly responded to the workers’ allegations or demands.
