Warri Refinery Support Staff Embark on Indefinite Strike

• Support staff at Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company (WRPC) in Delta State have embarked on an indefinite strike, shutting down the facility over poor conditions of service.

• The staff, who make up 80% of the workforce, are demanding improved welfare, including better salaries, medical allowances, and housing allowances.

• The protesters claim they have been agitating for good conditions of service since 2015 and are determined to remain at the gate until their demands are met.

Support staff at the Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company (WRPC) in Delta State have shut down the facility, embarking on an indefinite strike over what they described as “poor condition of service.” The staff, who gathered in large numbers, blocked the entrance to the company, chanting solidarity songs and bearing placards with various inscriptions.

The leader of the support staff, Dafe Ighomiteso, said, “It’s sad to note that we are here protesting against workplace slavery.” He explained that the support staff make up 80% of the workforce, but their welfare is far from satisfactory. “We don’t have insurance coverage. None of us here have medical allowance. We are not pensionable. We don’t have transport allowance, we don’t have housing allowance. We don’t have meal allowance, and we are saying here that we are not slaves,” Ighomiteso added.

The protesters demanded an adjustment to their salaries, which they described as meager. A cleaner/gardener, Innocent Ileleji, said, “We are being paid thirty-four thousand, five hundred naira (#34,500) monthly.” Another support staff member, Elohor Poko, called on the General Chief Officer (GCO) to look into the matter and consider their plight.

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The strike has brought the facility to a standstill, with all efforts to get the management to comment on the issue proving unsuccessful. The support staff pledged their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in reviving the refineries, but emphasized that their demands must be met before they return to works.