…As NNPC Promise to Pay Salaries Soon
By Our Correspondent
Activities at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was yesterday shut down by thousands of protesting contractors over twelve months salary areas owed the contractors.
The protesters who laid siege to the companys premises as at about 6am, disrupted ongoing repair works in all the departments and prevented vehicular movement in and out of the yard thereby causing heavy gridlock along the ever busy refinery road and NPA expressway in Ekpan, Delta State.
It was gathered that some of the workers last received their salaries last year’s October while others claimed they were last paid, January this year.
The unpaid salary of the contract staff is currently posing serious threat to the early November deadline for commencement of full production.
It could be recall that the Acting Managing Director of WRPC, Engr. Solomon Ladenegan, had said measures were being put in place to ensure that the plant is back in full operation by early November in good shape.
Narrating their ordeal to newsmen, the aggrieved contract staff, decried working in a harsh environment where they are merely regarded as commoners, adding that many of them have put up over ten years with nothing to show for it.
Also, the workers who claimed to be drawn from various departments including production, programming and quality control, administration, power plant and utility, fire and safety and production blamed the delay in the payment on the management of WRPC.
One of the aggrieved protesters, Christopher told newsmen that, the protest is all about our salary. For one year now, Ive not been paid my salary. Some people are owed ten months. Right now, our families are suffering, our wards/children are out of schools. The management of WRPC should pay us. Once our salaries are paid this protest would end.
We have virtually lost everything and if you dont come to work, they would issue you query. How can one issue worker query when for the last twelve months Ive not seen my salary? Do you expect me to borrow money to foot the bills of my family? For how long would they continue to ask us to be patience?
On his part, Engr. Matthew Robo of Power plant and utility (PPU) department said Ive worked for 15 good years in WRPC as a casual staff. As we are talking, some our money that were found in Ecobank has been retired to Abuja because of the TSA. That is the money they are supposed to use to pay us but now the money has been taken to Abuja, leaving us in hunger.
Im calling on the GMD of NNPC to intervene and visit our situation by regularizing this casual staff to permanent staff. This is abnormal and outrightly faults the labour laws in this country.
Another protester who gave her name as Mrs. Jeane Ochen called on the federal government as well as the GMD of NNPC, Mr Ibe Ikachukwu to immediately intervene stressing that not until they are paid the protest would continue and no worker in the yard would be allow to work in any department.
At about 2pm when this reporter was leaving the premises of WRPC, the aggrieved workers still held sway with their protest chanting labour songs.
When contacted, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told our correspondent via the phone that the situation was already being addressed noting that the protesters would soon be paid their outstanding salaries.
The situation is being addressed. The issue has already been brought before the attention of GMD of NNPC. He has ordered that it should be addressed immediately. I can assure you they would be paid very soon, Alegbe said.
