Seven months of unpaid salaries for assist 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 employees just lately protested over the salary arrears, interesting to President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
They alleged that assist 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 referred to 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 assist 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 assist 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 employees mustn’t bear the implications of the refinery’s operational difficulties, insisting that their welfare must be addressed whatever the facility’s manufacturing standing.
He additionally stated employees 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 referred to as on administration to contemplate the employees’ request for a N1 million housing or lease reduction package deal per assist 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 assist employees, 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 employees to stay peaceable and referred to 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 sources spent on sustaining amenities that had didn’t 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 referred to as for an audit of manpower and contract workers at PHRC, insisting that Nigerians deserved to know the worth being obtained from the sources dedicated to sustaining the power.
Adeleke additionally questioned the variety of employees required to keep up the refinery during times of restricted operations, saying a assessment may 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 may 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 take into account decreasing the workforce quite than rising salaries or approving extra allowances with out clear justification.
The dispute highlights the strain between employees’ welfare and issues in regards to the administration of public sources on the refinery.
The affected employees had been reportedly nonetheless awaiting cost as of the interval following their final public protest on October 6, with stakeholders divided over whether or not the quick precedence must be settling salary arrears, reviewing staffing preparations or addressing the refinery’s operational challenges.
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