Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Casual workers engaged at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company in Delta State, have staged a peaceful protest inside the company against the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, demanding for conversion to permanent staff.
The protesting workers numbering about 336 marched round the Warri refinery, with placards bearing different inscriptions such as “NNPC stop the technical lies” “No conversion, no quick fix” amongst others.
The aggrieved workers who claimed to have worked at the Warri refinery between 15 and 27 years, are demanding for conversion from casual to permanent staff, salary increase, payment of all outstanding allowances, as well as better working conditions and welfare.
One of the aggrieved workers, who gave his name as Mr Sunny Monday, called on the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, to urgently address the matter, warning that there would be no resumption of work until their demands were met.
Monday accused the management of NNPC of lying and failing to honour promises made over the issue that had lingered for many years.
“Many of us would even like to leave this job, we want the management of Warri refinery to pay us off since the management doesn’t need our services.
“If the management still wants our services and wants to keep us, then we are demanding that we should be converted from causal staff to the permanent staff of Warri Refinery.”
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