Duke tells Trinidad House workers to stay away

Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) employees working at Trinidad House, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, were advised to stay away from the building until their health and safety were guaranteed. A group of 60 workers were addressed yesterday by Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke at the Financial Complex, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, as they protested what they called poor and dangerous working conditions at Trinidad House. The protest comes after reports on Monday that five “bullet holes” were found in the fourth floor windows of the building.

Duke said the protest was concerned with the health and safety issues of workers of Trinidad House and was not part of PSA’s ongoing battle for wage increases for public servants. He added: “This security issue was one of the many problems faced by employees in that building, which is one of the oldest in Port-of-Spain. “Last year, the sewerage system malfunctioned and workers were forced to work through those conditions.” 

Duke cited Section 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2004, saying it was the duty of employers to ensure the health and safety of its employees and Section 15 which states workers should refuse to work in conditions that are hazardous to their health. Duke said he believed the alleged “bullet holes” were a message to employees as they were found in the audit section of the building. 

“The section that deals with petroleum auditing had three ‘bullet holes’ and the general audit section two,” he said. Duke denied claims that the damage to the building was the work of the PSA, saying he believed “big business” was behind the damage. Duke called on Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs to provide the PSA with a police report on the matter. When contacted yesterday, officers of the Port-of-Spain CID, who are investigating the matter, said the damage to the building was caused by a pellet gun. A report said security officers at Trinidad House discovered the alleged holes in the wall and notified the police. Detectives suspect the holes were made by someone who “was shooting pellets at pigeons.”