Refinery Support Staff Shut Warri, Port Harcourt Refineries Over Welfare
Support staff of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries on Monday shut the entrances to the facilities and embarked on peaceful protests over poor remuneration, denial of workers’ benefits and delay in implementing a new salary package.
At the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), over hundreds of workers gathered at the refinery entrance, disrupting support operations.
The workers, led by their Lead Representative, Dafe Ighomitedo, said they had been denied basic benefits, including housing, transport, medical, hazard, leave, insurance and pension allowances for more than a decade.
They also expressed concern over reports that a new salary package approved by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, with effect from October 1, 2026, could be delayed until January 2027.
“After more than a decade of waiting, another delay is unacceptable,” the workers said.
They demanded immediate implementation of the package, improved conditions of service and a comprehensive severance package amid reports of a planned 40 per cent workforce rationalisation.
The protest was also ongoing at the Port Harcourt Refinery (PHRC) as of Monday afternoon.
The workers appealed to NNPCL management to intervene and resolve their grievances through dialogue.
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