Seven months of unpaid salaries for help workers on the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) have triggered disagreement amongst vitality stakeholders, with some demanding pressing intervention whereas others query the justification for sustaining a big workforce at a refinery working under capability.
The affected staff just lately protested over the salary arrears, interesting to President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
They alleged that help workers had been owed seven months’ salaries, safety contractors eight months, and cleaners 9 months.
Energy knowledgeable and lecturer, Dr. Joseph Obele, condemned the scenario, describing it as unfair and unacceptable, and known as on the administration of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Federal Government to resolve the disaster.
Obele additionally expressed concern over the reported month-to-month salary of about N156,000 for help workers, arguing that the quantity was insufficient given the price of residing and the calls for of working at a strategic nationwide asset.
He questioned why everlasting workers had been reportedly receiving their salaries whereas help workers, cleaners and safety personnel remained unpaid for months.
“If there is money to pay one category, there should be a clear explanation why another category remains unpaid,” he stated.
Obele argued that staff shouldn’t bear the results of the refinery’s operational difficulties, insisting that their welfare must be addressed whatever the facility’s manufacturing standing.
He additionally stated staff had alleged that the refinery coordinator promised a brand new salary construction from October 2026, urging administration to implement any authorized adjustments with out additional delay.
The vitality knowledgeable additional known as on administration to contemplate the employees’ request for a N1 million housing or hire reduction bundle per help workers member, topic to relevant welfare insurance policies.
He cited a reported disparity between the roughly N2 million earned by the least-paid NNPCL workers on the facility and the N156,000 obtained by help staff, saying the hole required pressing examination.
“You cannot build a successful refinery on unpaid workers. The refinery may be temporarily unproductive, but workers should not be made the casualties of that situation,” he stated.
Obele urged the protesting staff to stay peaceable and known as for an pressing assembly involving the refinery coordinator, related authorities and labour representatives to settle the arrears and restore confidence.
However, one other vitality knowledgeable, Rasheed Adeleke, stated the salary dispute mirrored deeper issues in Nigeria’s refinery administration, questioning the assets spent on sustaining amenities that had did not ship anticipated output.
He argued that the federal government wanted to account for the substantial expenditure on refinery upkeep and personnel regardless of restricted refining efficiency.
“We pay billions to maintain a refinery that does not work, we pay permanent staff to manage failure, and now we are arguing about paying support staff to clean idle machines and guard empty tanks,” Adeleke stated.
He known as for an audit of manpower and contract workers at PHRC, insisting that Nigerians deserved to know the worth being obtained from the assets dedicated to sustaining the power.
Adeleke additionally questioned the variety of staff required to take care of the refinery during times of restricted operations, saying a assessment might assist set up acceptable staffing ranges and accountability.
Another analyst, Bola Joseph, opposed the employees’ demand, arguing that sustaining and paying all classes of workers whereas the refinery was not working optimally might encourage redundancy.
“If the refinery is not working, there is no justification to keep paying all categories of workers,” he stated, including that the federal government ought to contemplate decreasing the workforce slightly than growing salaries or approving extra allowances with out clear justification.
The dispute highlights the stress between staff’ welfare and considerations in regards to the administration of public assets on the refinery.
The affected staff had been reportedly nonetheless awaiting fee as of the interval following their final public protest on October 6, with stakeholders divided over whether or not the speedy precedence must be settling salary arrears, reviewing staffing preparations or addressing the refinery’s operational challenges.
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