The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) staged a protest on Tuesday morning, disrupting operations at the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) Broad Street office in Lagos.
Protesters barricaded the facility’s entrance, blocking vehicular access and causing traffic disruptions. Vehicles belonging to senior officials were denied entry, while staff who initially gained access were later turned back as the demonstration intensified.
The union cited unfair benchmarking under SNEPCo’s global reward framework, wage discrimination against Nigerian workers, and issues with the implementation of the “Best-in-Basin” cost optimisation policy, which they claim negatively affects employee welfare.
In a strike notice made available to the media, PENGASSAN also argued that allowances do not reflect market realities and described a N1 million car grant as unrealistic given the state of the economy.
The protest highlighted worsening conditions for certain staff categories and claimed that positions intended for Nigerians were being filled by expatriates. Workers also linked non-accidental deaths among colleagues to high workloads, stress, debt, and frequent restructuring.
The demonstration coincides with SNEPCo’s recent divestment efforts, leaving its Nigerian operations primarily centred in Lagos alongside Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG).
