Angola’s Lobito Refinery Construction Workers Demand Salary Increase from 100,000 to 400,000 Kwanzas
Workers involved in the construction of Angola’s Lobito Refinery in Benguela Province have staged a strike demanding higher wages and improved working conditions, following a breakdown in negotiations with their employer.
According to a report by Lusa, citing striking worker Vitorino Faustino, hundreds of employees gathered outside Sonaref on 2 October to protest against a proposed salary increase they considered inadequate.
The workers are also raising concerns about the quality of food provided at the construction site and alleging mistreatment.
Faustino said the dispute had been ongoing for nearly three weeks. The workforce had previously been asked to return to work while negotiations continued, with 30 September set as the deadline for a resolution.
However, the deadline passed without an agreement, prompting the workers to stop work.
The employees currently earn 100,000 kwanzas per month, which Faustino described as the national minimum wage.
They initially demanded an increase to 600,000 kwanzas before reducing their request to 400,000 kwanzas during negotiations.
However, the employer’s counterproposal offered a 20% salary increase, which the workers rejected as insufficient.
The strike comes as Angola advances construction of the Lobito Refinery, a strategic project being developed by state-owned oil company Sonangol to strengthen domestic fuel-processing capacity and reduce reliance on imported petroleum products.
The refinery is designed to process 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day across a site covering approximately 3,800 hectares in Benguela Province.
Once completed, the facility is expected to play a significant role in Angola’s downstream petroleum industry.
However, the labour dispute highlights the importance of resolving wage and workplace concerns as construction progresses.
