Warri Refinery Support Staff Sustain Protest Since October 5, Demand Severance Pay

Support staff of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Ekpan, Delta State, have sustained their protest since October 5, demanding severance packages and improved welfare after years of alleged poor remuneration and denied employment benefits.

The workers renewed their demonstration on Tuesday, October 27, insisting that management pay them off following the expiration of their contract on September 30.

Lead representative of the support staff, Dafe Ighomitedo, said the 338 workers, some of whom had spent more than 20 years at the refinery, constituted about 80 to 90 per cent of its workforce, compared with 89 permanent employees.

He said the workers had demanded improved welfare since 2015, but repeated promises of better conditions and possible conversion to permanent employment had not yielded the desired results.

“We don't want to work again; just pay us off. You cannot force us. We have been denied enough. N90,000 to N165,000 is not enough to survive in this economy,” he said.

Another worker, Kingsley Akivie, a safety officer who said he had worked at the refinery since April 1, 2009, alleged that although workers were recruited through community nominations, they were subsequently placed under contractors for payment.

Akivie said his salary had risen from N54,000 in 2009 to N165,000 in 2026, without medical, pension, transport, feeding, hazard or leave allowances.

He said the support staff remained essential to preserving critical refinery equipment despite the plant's operational challenges, urging management to calculate their outstanding entitlements and include them in their severance packages.

“Our contract expired on September 30. What we want is for all the entitlements they have denied us over the years to be calculated and paid as our severance package,” he said.

Another support staff member, Elohor Poko, said the workers were tired of repeated postponements of promised improvements to their welfare.

“We are here for one thing only: pay us. N165,000 cannot sustain a family under the present economic situation,” she said.

The protesters displayed placards bearing inscriptions including: “WRPC support staff were never outsourced, but employed directly by WRPC”; “The RC, Bayo Adenrele had no integrity”; “No EVP Downstream, No discussion/negotiation”; “EVP Downstream, Dr. Mumuni Dangazaun must act now”; and “We want our severance package oaid to all support staff.”

They called on the Executive Vice President, Downstream, Dr. Mumuni Dangazaun, to intervene and ensure payment of their severance packages.

As of the time of filing this report, WRPC management had yet to publicly respond to the protesters' latest demands.