Workers protest alleged poor welfare, ground operations at Warri Refinery

Support workers of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company in Delta trooped out on Monday to protest against what they described as the continued failure of the management to improve their remuneration and other associated welfare.

The aggrieved support staff members who carried placards said they were protesting against “workplace slavery”.

Their placards bored various inscriptions such as “Our salary can no longer take us home”; “WRPC management are wicked, enough of promise and fail;” “Give us good conditions of service, we played a major role in the Quick-Fix”; “WRPC paying our cleaners a salary of N34,500 is wicked and evil”, among others.

Consequently, operations at the Refinery complex were disrupted for most hours of the day.

The workers recalled that they had warned a fortnight ago that there would be a total shutdown of activities at the company if the management failed to attend to their demands.

Speaking with journalists, the self-acclaimed leader of the protesting support staff, Dafe Ighomitedo, insisted that they were protesting what he tagged “workplace slavery.”

He said, “We are here protesting workplace slavery. This struggle has been ongoing since 2015. We have undergone a series of protests, all to no avail.

“At every point in time, we always have listening ears based on the promises of the management. Unfortunately, management will always come with one scheme or the other.

“All we are asking for is conditions of service. It is sad to note that the highest-paid support staff in WRPC receive N164,000, while the least-paid receive N90,000. Our cleaners receive N34,000.”

Speaking further, Ighomitedo told newsmen that the aggrieved support staff refused an appeal by the Acting Managing Director and his team for them to shelve the protest.

He added that there was no official communication from top management in Abuja, “even though they were aware of the development and consultations were ongoing between local and top management.”

He continued, “They (management) wanted more time, and we resolved that we would remain at the gate, pending when they are through with what they are doing. We will be here waiting to hear from them.

“As we speak right now, nobody is going in, all contractors are not allowed to go in until we get what we want. And we are willing to stay here till next week, until management attends to us.”

Also speaking with newsmen, one of the protesting workers who pleaded anonymity stated that “the shutdown of WRPC is over failure of NNPC and WRPC management to provide improved conditions of service”.

“For over 10 years, we have been on the negotiation table. Now that the plant has been shut down, the proposed start-up scheduled for this month is no longer feasible.

“The support staff make up 70% of the workforce.”

Efforts to obtain comments from the management of the WRPC were futile as of the time of filing this report.