NIAMEY (Reuters) – Workers at Niger’s sole oil refinery launched a four-day strike on
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Tuesday, the third work stoppage in less than two weeks at the facility, which is a joint venture between the government and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).
Some 400 workers at the 20,000-barrel-per-day Soraz plant are protesting what they say is an unfair discrepancy in salaries between local employees and their Chinese colleagues. They launched an initial two-day strike on Jan. 22 and downed tools again for three days last week.
“We’re determined to maintain the pressure on the Chinese of CNPC. Improving our salaries remains a fair and legitimate demand,” said Elemi Boukar, spokesman for the Soraz union members.
The plant, located 800 km (500 miles) east of the capital Niamey in the town of Zinder, processes oil from the CNPC-operated Agadem blocks. It was stopped for planned maintenance in December and resumed normal operations on Jan. 15.
