The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Tuesday morning organised a protest that stopped operations at the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) Broad Street office in Lagos.

The protesters barricaded the entrance to the facility, preventing vehicular access and disrupting traffic flow in the area. Vehicles belonging to senior officials were denied entry, while staff who initially gained access were later turned back as the action intensified.

The workers challenged what they called unfair benchmarking under the company’s global reward framework and accused SNEPCo’s management of wage discrimination against Nigerian workers in a strike notice received by the media.

Additionally, they criticised the “Best-in-Basin” cost optimisation policy’s execution, claiming it harmed employee welfare.

The letter claimed that allowances were not a reflection of the market and that a N1 million car grant was unrealistic given the state of the economy.

Additionally, the workers reported that specific staff categories were experiencing worsening working conditions and that positions intended for Nigerians were being filled by expats.

They also connected what they called “Non-Accidental Deaths” among coworkers to a hard workload, stress, debt, and frequent restructuring.

The protest coincides with SNEPCo’s recent divestment efforts, with the company’s Nigerian business now mostly centred in Lagos alongside Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG). (The Sun)