Support staff of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) have protested over seven months of unpaid salaries and the delayed implementation of a new salary structure reportedly approved by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Bayo Ojulari.
The workers, under the aegis of the Support Staff Union of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, gave NNPCL management a 48-hour ultimatum to implement the new salary structure or face a total shutdown of the refinery in Eleme, Rivers State.
The protesters barricaded the entrance to the refinery on Monday, erected tents and displayed placards demanding improved welfare and the implementation of the approved remuneration package.
The union said the new salary structure was expected to take effect from 1 October 2026 but alleged that the Refinery Coordinator, Bayo Adelere, had refused to implement it despite the reported approval by the NNPCL GCEO.
The workers listed four major demands: implementation of the approved salary and remuneration package from the applicable effective date; approval of a one-off N1 million housing or rent relief for eligible support staff; immediate payment of seven months’ outstanding salaries and other legitimate entitlements; and improved consultation between refinery management and recognised labour representatives on issues affecting workers’ welfare.
Some of the placards displayed by the protesters 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 during the protest, the Chairman of the PHRC Support Staff Union, Bennett Isy, said the workers would not back down until their demands were addressed.
“You cannot tell us that the GCEO of the NNPCL approved something and the RC will say no. That is insubordination,” he said.
Isy appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and called for the Refinery Coordinator to be held accountable over the alleged delay.
He warned that the workers would shut down the facility if the salary structure was not implemented within 48 hours.
“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.
Other workers who spoke during the protest complained about the impact of the salary arrears and the absence of the requested N1 million rent relief.
A female union member, Joy Osueiya, said workers had been asked to wait until January 2027 for the implementation of the new salary structure, a proposal she rejected.
“January 2027 is too late,” she said, alleging that some workers had suffered serious health and safety challenges while working at the refinery.
Osueiya also alleged that some workers had suffered injuries and that others had died, while calling for immediate action on the workers’ demands.
Another support staff member, Godspower Nwakanji, appealed to the President to intervene, saying workers could not continue to cope 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,” he said.
The protest comes amid wider concerns among support staff at Nigeria’s state-owned refineries over pay, welfare benefits and the implementation of the new remuneration package. Workers at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company also protested over similar concerns on Monday.
As of the latest reports, the workers were awaiting a response from NNPCL management to their demands.
