In its statement, the union argues that workplace accidents at Motor Oil have become a daily occurrence, recalling two previous serious incidents. In January 2020, one worker was killed in an explosion and three others suffered burns, while nine workers were injured in September 2024.

According to the union, the causes of such incidents are well known and have repeatedly been raised by workers, particularly during the current refinery shutdown.

‘Intensification of work, endless 12-hour shifts, work carried out without any safety measures, inadequate maintenance of equipment to avoid losing profits, workers’ exposure to serious risks to their health and safety, attacks on labour and trade union rights, and employer pressure and intimidation to meet deadlines,’ the statement reads.

The union accuses Motor Oil of generating enormous profits at the expense of both permanent employees and subcontracted workers, arguing that the company’s pursuit of profitability has come at the cost of their safety and rights.

‘This is how the group’s profits, which have reached staggering heights, are made, literally from the blood and sweat of workers, both permanent employees and contractors, who are all subjected to this exploitation. Through involvement in wars and competition, shareholders accumulate wealth, while workers in the sector risk their physical safety and rights on the altar of profit, and ordinary people pay exorbitant prices for fuel and live in energy poverty,’ the statement continues.

Under the slogan ‘Either their profits or our lives!’, the union calls on workers to intensify their struggle for decent working conditions, workplace safety and labour rights, rejecting exhausting schedules that it says can ultimately prove fatal.

The union also denounces Motor Oil management for allegedly refusing entry to elected representatives of the Energy and Metal Workers’ Federations who attempted to intervene at the site of the explosion.

‘They want to keep the refinery off-limits, so that colleagues can be killed without anyone being allowed to see what is happening. They will not get away with it,’ the union warns.

It urges workers not to submit to employer intimidation or abuses of authority, calling for collective organisation and resistance to management practices.

‘No one should bow their head to employer intimidation and arbitrariness. All of us, united in our union, must organise and put forward our own demands against the employers’ plans. No more sacrifices for their profits!’

The union also calls on the government and the relevant authorities to investigate the fatal explosion thoroughly and hold those responsible within Motor Oil accountable, rather than allowing responsibility to be shifted onto scapegoats.

Its demands include:

  • Full implementation of measures to protect workers’ health and safety during refinery shutdown operations, under the responsibility of the state and employers.
  • Collective labour agreements for workers employed by contracting companies, with substantial wage increases.
  • Decent working schedules, including a seven-hour working day, five-day working week and 35-hour working week, opposing flexible working-time arrangements. Payment for overtime and guaranteed Sundays off.
  • Full trade union rights in the workplace, opposing employers’ attempts to restrict union activity and contact between workers and their unions.
  • Strengthening the Labour Inspectorate and increasing workplace inspections.

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