Support staff at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) in Delta State have embarked on an indefinite strike, effectively shutting down operations at the refinery. The workers are protesting against what they describe as “poor condition of service” and “workplace slavery” by the company’s management.
Key Issues Raised by the Support Staff
- Low Salaries: Cleaners and gardeners receive as little as ₦34,500 monthly, a figure unchanged since a promised salary review in 2013. Other support staff such as engineers and technicians earn between ₦90,000 and ₦165,000, which they consider insufficient given the hazardous nature of their work and the industry standards.
- Lack of Benefits: The protesting workers highlighted the absence of essential benefits, including insurance coverage, medical allowances, pension schemes, transport, housing, and meal allowances.
- Longstanding Grievances: Many support staff have been working at WRPC for up to 18 years without improvements in their welfare. The strike follows a decade of unresolved demands and broken promises from management.
- Casualization Concerns: The workers condemned the casualization of labor, which they say violates national labor laws and worsens their precarious employment conditions.
Impact on Refinery Operations
- The strike has led to a complete halt of refinery activities, with only the Turbine Unit operational to keep minimal functions alive.
- A source within WRPC disclosed that the refinery is currently about 60% completed in its ongoing maintenance and upgrade works.
- The shutdown disrupts plans to restart refinery operations, which had been scheduled following a $492 million quick-fix repair contract aimed at restoring 60% of the plant’s capacity.
Workers’ Demands and Management Response
- The support staff, who constitute about 80% of the refinery’s workforce, are demanding a comprehensive review and improvement of their salary structure and working conditions, aligned with other staff across the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) subsidiaries.
- Despite appeals from the Acting Managing Director and local management to call off the strike, the workers remain steadfast, vowing to maintain the protest until their demands are met.
- Efforts to obtain comments from WRPC management have been unsuccessful, as they have refused to address the issue publicly.
The strike at Warri Refinery highlights ongoing labor tensions within Nigeria’s oil sector, where support staff often face poor remuneration and lack of social protections despite their critical roles. The protest also threatens to undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to revive Nigeria’s refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.
This strike underscores urgent calls for management and government intervention to improve workers’ welfare and resolve longstanding labor disputes to ensure the smooth operation of strategic national assets like the Warri Refinery.
