The corporate headquarters of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on Broad Street, Lagos, became a scene of intense agitation on Tuesday morning. Members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) staged a massive protest, effectively shutting down operations and barricading the entrance to the facility.
The demonstration created a significant bottleneck in the heart of Lagos as protesters blocked vehicular access to the premises. While some employees managed to enter the compound in the early hours, the gates were eventually locked firmly against all traffic, including vehicles belonging to the company’s senior executives.
According to a strike notice obtained by Reports, the workers are up in arms over what they describe as deep-seated systemic issues within the organization. Central to their grievances are allegations of pay discrimination against Nigerian staff and an unfair benchmarking system under Shell’s global pay structure. The employees are particularly critical of a “Best-in-Basin” cost-cutting policy, which they claim has severely eroded staff welfare.
Financial frustrations are at the forefront of the dispute. The union labeled the current allowance packages as completely out of touch with Nigeria’s economic reality, pointing to a N1 million car grant as a prime example of an unrealistic benefit in today’s market. Furthermore, there is growing resentment over the alleged handover of roles traditionally held by Nigerians to expatriates, alongside deteriorating working conditions for several staff categories.
The human cost of these corporate policies was also highlighted during the protest. Workers linked a recent string of what they termed “non-accidental deaths” among their colleagues to excessive workloads, chronic stress, and the mounting debt burdens caused by repeated restructuring. This unrest comes at a sensitive time for the company, as SNEPCo recently shifted its primary operational focus to Lagos following various divestment activities.
As the standoff continues, the management of the oil giant has yet to provide an official statement or a roadmap for resolving the dispute. The protesters, however, remain adamant that they will not back down until their demands for a fair Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are met.
