Hundreds of workers at Homs, Baniyas refineries suspended from work

Local sources said that the management of the Homs Refinery issued a decision to suspend around 392 permanent employees from work for performing mandatory military service. The sources said the employees were informed of the decision verbally, had their work ID cards confiscated, and were barred from entering the refinery.

The sources added that a similar measure was taken several days ago against around 186 employees at the Baniyas Refinery for the same reason, bringing the total number of affected workers at the two refineries to around 578.

The nature and duration of the measure, as well as its implications for the employees’ salaries and employment rights, remain unclear. It was not possible to independently verify the figures or access the copies of the referred decisions.

The Ministry of Energy had previously announced that it would accept applications for the reinstatement of employees who had been dismissed for reasons related to the Syrian revolution or military service, as part of efforts to address the employment status of workers at institutions affiliated with the ministry.

No official clarification has yet been published explaining the new decisions reportedly issued at the Homs and Baniyas refineries or specifying their legal basis. This leaves the status of the affected workers, particularly with regard to wages, employment rights, and the duration of their suspension from work, in need of clarification from the Ministry of Energy or the General Petroleum Administration.

The inclusion of around 578 workers at two vital facilities in decisions issued within a relatively short period of time raises questions as to whether the measures are part of a unified administrative mechanism to regulate the status of employees performing mandatory military service, or separate decisions issued by the administrations of the two refineries.

ANHA