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

Protesters barricaded the entrance to the facility, blocking vehicular access and disrupting traffic in the area. Vehicles belonging to senior officials were turned back, while some staff who initially entered the premises were later asked to leave as the protest intensified.

In a strike notice made available to the media, the union accused SNEPCo’s management of wage discrimination against Nigerian employees under the company’s global reward benchmarking system. The workers described the framework as unfair and misaligned with local economic realities.

They also criticised the implementation of the company’s “Best-in-Basin” cost optimisation policy, alleging that it has negatively impacted employee welfare. According to the union, certain allowances do not reflect prevailing market conditions, while a N1 million car grant was described as unrealistic given current economic challenges.

PENGASSAN further alleged that some job roles designated for Nigerians were being occupied by expatriates, and that certain staff categories are facing deteriorating working conditions.
The union also raised concerns about what it termed “Non-Accidental Deaths” among colleagues, linking them to heavy workloads, stress, debt burdens, and repeated organisational restructuring.

The protest comes amid SNEPCo’s ongoing divestment moves, with its Nigerian operations now largely concentrated in Lagos, alongside Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG).