Support staff members of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) have protested over the delay in the payment of seven months’ salaries and the non-implementation of a new salary structure reportedly approved by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari.
The workers issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the NNPCL management to implement the new salary structure or risk the shutdown of the refinery located in Eleme, Rivers State.
The aggrieved workers barricaded the entrance of the refinery on Monday, displaying placards and erecting tents at the gate as they protested what they described as injustice and marginalisation.
The workers alleged that although the NNPCL GCEO had approved the new salary structure, the Refinery Coordinator, Bayo Adelere, had refused to implement it.
They said the new structure was expected to take effect from October 1, 2026, but had yet to be implemented.
The protesters listed four major demands, including immediate implementation of the approved salary structure and remuneration package, payment of seven months’ outstanding salaries and other legitimate entitlements, approval of a N1 million housing or rent relief for eligible support staff, and improved engagement between management and recognised labour representatives on workers’ welfare.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest read, “No more empty promises, January 2027 is too far to implement new salary structure,” “Refinery Coordinator must go,” and “Workers deserve dignity: Fair pay is our right.”
Speaking with journalists during the protest, Chairman of the PHRC Support Staff Union, Bennett Isy, said the workers would not accept a delay until January 2027.
Isy accused the Refinery Coordinator of refusing to implement an approval reportedly given by the NNPCL GCEO.
“You cannot tell us that the GCEO of the NNPCL approved something and the RC will say no. That is insubordination,” he said.
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He appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, alleging that the Refinery Coordinator was using the influence of the Presidency to intimidate workers.
Isy warned that the workers would shut down the refinery if their demands were not addressed within 48 hours.
“We are saying that we are not backing down. We are following all due process to ensure that what rightly belongs to us gets to us; but if it is not implemented in the next 48 hours, to God, we are going to shut down this refinery. Not one soul will gain access to these premises,” he said.
Another union member, Joy Osueiya, said the workers were rejecting the proposed delay until January 2027, noting that the salary adjustment had reportedly been approved to take effect from October 1.
She also raised concerns about the hazardous working conditions at the refinery, alleging that some workers had suffered serious injuries and others had lost their lives while working at the facility.
“A lot of us have lost loved ones in this refinery. Some of our men cannot even impregnate their wives again. Some of our colleagues have lost their lives here,” Osueiya said.
She added that some workers had reportedly lost limbs and demanded urgent action to improve their welfare.
Another support staff member, Godspower Nwakanji, appealed to President Tinubu to intervene in the dispute, saying workers were struggling with unpaid salaries and inadequate medical support.
“We cannot renew our hope in hunger and poverty. We cannot renew our hope when there is no medical attention. We have worked for 10 years without medical response,” Nwakanji said.
The protesters insisted that their demands were aimed at securing better welfare and fair treatment for support staff, while warning that failure by the NNPCL management to act within the stipulated 48 hours could result in a total shutdown of activities at the refinery.