Workers from Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Company (Tofco), one of the contractors on bpTT's Juniper project, staged a protest demonstration outside the energy company's Port-of-Spain officers yesterday, calling for improved health and safety standards and higher wages.
Tofco is fabricating work on the project, one of the largest currently in progress locally. The Juniper facility will take gas from the Corallita and Lantana fields located 50 miles off the south east coast of Trinidad.
Spokesman for the disguntled workers, Kirk Christopher, said their concerns are being ignored.
"Workers have been injured. We raised this issue, we spoke about our sub-standard salary that we are being forced to work for. Right now we work for $40 an hour. These conditions are inhumane," he told the T&T Guardian.
Tofco, is an international provider of fabrication and construction services for the oil and gas industry, has an office in La Brea.
Christopher, who said his contract with the company was terminated after he spoke out against working conditions, said more than 280 workers ere affected.
Clyde Charles, who met with bpTT officials on behalf of the workers, said: "A lot our concerns like wages and health and safety issues bpTT is not aware of."
He said the bpTT officials asked for all the termination letters and other documents so they could assess what has been taking place.
Up to late yesterday, officials of Tofco had not responded to calls for a comment on the situation.