By; UTEBOR PETER, Asaba
The marginalized workers of Warri Refining Petrochemicals Company (WRPC), in Delta State has called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to help put a stop to the injustice, workplace slavery meted on them by the management of the company.
The workers said this yesterday morning, in a peaceful protest at the Premises of the company, calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Ahmed Tinubu to help stop the workplace slavery and injustice given to the support staffs by management of the company.
The support staff also called on the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari to help look into their plight.
Speaking to newsman yesterday morning at the day three mourning protest, the lead representative of the support staff at WRPC, Reverend Dafe Ighomitedo, said, “we are protesting against workplaces slavery, poor earnings, injustice, perceived failure of management to boycott, deprive and short-change us, in respect to the Quick-Fix project which we have seen to ninety-five per cent (95%) completion.”
Reverend Dafe said, “We have been on this issue on salary increment since 2015. We have documents to show. In 2019, this issue went to the House of Assembly. All stakeholders intervened and there were promises of improved salary structure.
“As we speak, management cannot tender any document to show that there has been any increase in salary since 2019 after leaving the House of Assembly.
“We were the ones running the Warri Refinery to ensure that the WRPC is set for operation. We ensured that we are peaceful, and we have been peaceful, the job has been going on peacefully and smoothly, but so sad, we are here to mourn what is going on, which we have said enough of staff slavery.
“We have been here receiving meager salaries, We are the ones that run the plant to this point, now it’s time to start up the plant, suddenly, they came and brought in retirees. Those that are 70yrs and above to be receiving one million Naira in a month. While the average salary of us here who are experienced Is hundred thousand Naira.
“Nobody among us here is less than 10yrs in experience. Some are below hundred thousand Naira, but we just say average is N100,000.
“We were told to be patient and allow the project to get to the stage of near completion that we will get everything we want together. And we are getting closer, we have worked 95℅, we are the one that put it up to this stage.
“We want to run it. We want this plant to run, we want this nation to be proud that this plant is running. But the painful thing here is that we have fixed billions of Naira to the facility without thinking of putting anything to those that will run the facility.
“How can you spend billions in putting the facility in order without thinking of people that will run the facility.
“You just brought your retirees who have gotten their gratuity, they have gotten their pensions and they don’t have energy anymore but though with experience.
“But we are energetic people full of experience and you say what is due to us is average of hundred thousand Naira? We say this is injustice, workplace slavery and we are saying no to it.
“None of us here has access to medical services. We are working in a hazardous environment, hazardous plant but we don’t have access to medical Facilities.
“We don’t have hazard allowance, we don’t have transport allowance and you know what is the cost of fuel in this country today, you can see them in our points.
“So we are calling on well meaning Nigerians who are tired of seeing their children or their people suffering to come to our rescue.
“Respect to the ongoing quick peace projects that the nation is expecting us to come up soon which we are very optimistic that it will come up that is why we are here but some things are not right.
“We have been deprived of what is due to us and we decided to cry out that is why we are here today being the third day of the mourning protesting.
“This is day three of the morning protest, we don’t know how far it will go, we are seeking for intervention from the appropriate quarters as far as to the GCEO and the EVP gas stream to come to our rescue. We are receiving virtually peanuts as salary.
“Should they fail to hear our cry, our next line of action is, ‘continue to cry’, we will keep pushing on till the day they will hear us. We are very objective and we are very purposeful.
“You can see we are very peaceful, we allow people to go in, work is going on. But the workers that are being enslaved pulled out, we say no, this is injustice.
“Shockingly, as we speak, retirees just came in, they brought them in to pay them (one million) Naira monthly, while we are still receiving peanuts.
“We felt it is an oppression and we know if the GCO hears this and EVP is put in the picture, which we have already put in the picture, we have already writing to him, to call his attention to this.
“We want to believe if there are some bottlenecks to this, why he is not getting our message, the more we remain here, he will get the message.
“But we want to make the masses know that we want to run the plant because we are the one that is fixing the plant right now, we have laboured for so long to allow the plant not to run.
“We are the support staff, the major key players in terms of running the plant. So we are very optimistic that this plant will run, and very soon only on the simple condition that our welfare should be considered.” He said.
The protesters, dressed in black attires, chanting solidarity songs, carrying placards with inscriptions such as, “Renumeration: Health coverage, hazard, pension, leave, transport, lunch, housing allowances,” “Workplace oppression/discrimination,” “Support staff actively participated in Quick-Fix project. Retirees called back to reap the reward,” among others.
“On this note, we are calling on Mr President who is a lover of the citizens and who does not want to see oppression. We want him to see that we are been treated as slaves here, he should come and intervene. We know he has a good heart towards the youth, and we expect him to move into action.
“WRPC is an oil and gas industry, and we know what is obtainable everywhere in the oil and gas industry. We are support staffs and we are not cursed people, there are support staff everywhere in all oil and gas industries everywhere, but they are treated fairly.
“We are calling on Mr President to help us with his good office as a father to move into action and resolve this issue once and for all. So that we too as support staff can smile and progress together even as the nation progresses too.
“We are also calling on the GCEO and every stakeholder that wants the progress of this nation to come to our rescue.
“The message to my colleagues is that, “we should focus, we should ensure that this protest does not degenerate into violence and remains peaceful. Because our president is a peaceful president, and our governor will not like to see any form of distraction and rancour, that is why we choose to go on this peaceful mourning protest. We call it mourning protest.
“So I am assuring my colleagues that they should be peaceful and focus, before this week will run out the president will come to our rescue because the president is a lover of his people”. The protesters added.
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