"T&T will have no industrial peace if Petrotrin embarks on job cuts."
This is the warning from president general of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union Ancel Roget a day after Petrotrin chairman Lindsay Gillette announced the jobs of casual and temporary workers were under review.
He said Petrotrin had 1,450 casual and temporary workers based in land exploration and refinery operations while Trinmar Ltd, which was merged into Petrotrin in 2000, has 450 casual and temporary staff. These 1,850 temporary and casual employees represent 38 per cent of Petrotrin's workforce.
Despite that, Roget said, Petrotrin was critically understaffed in technical and operational areas and if workers were dismissed, the company could go in a tailspin.
Noting a review of staffing levels was unjustified in light of the decline in the price of oil from US$107 to US$46, Roget said a job review analysis was done in 2009 but the recommendations were never implemented.
Saying the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) planned to meet to discuss the impending job loss, Roget revealed:
"The JTUM is preparing a colossal fightback. This government cannot be allowed to mismanage the state resources and then send workers home. If it is anybody to be sent home it should be the management of Petrotrin, the board of directors and the line minister."
Predicting the loss of valued technical and operational expertise, Roget warned that safety could be compromised as casual and temporary workers formed part of the backbone of the company.
"Once you have a shortage of technical and operational crews in the highly volatile areas, it will compromise the safety of those workers who are asked to work in short crews because of the levels of vacancies.
"Petrotrin's management is preparing to grind the company to a halt and we will have none of that," Roget said.
He added that for decades, casual workers have been used to fill vacancies. Most of these workers had between 25 to 35 years of experience.
He said during a recent job review exercise, the OWTU and Petrotrin realised there were vacancies in highly operational and technical areas.
"Most of those vacancies are being staffed now by temporary and casual workers, so if they remove temporary and casual workers they will curtail the company's ability to meet daily operational needs," Roget said.
Calling for an end to political interference in hiring practices which has created duplication of job positions, Roget said:
"Top level persons who are incompetent are preventing the company from going forward and they are appointed solely on the basis of political loyalty."
He also warned that permanent workers would be next in line to be sent home if Petrotrin reduced its oil production levels by sending home casual and temporary workers.
Last week Friday Petrotrin president Khalid Hassanali said no permanent worker would be placed on the breadline because of falling oil prices.
Contacted yesterday, Hassanali said he was not disputing Roget's claims that 38 per cent of Petrotrin's workforce were temporary and casual workers.
He said employees should understand that in the current circumstances the best solution would be to improve their levels of productivity.
During Tuesday's Public Accounts (Enterprises) Committee, Gillette said the jobs of casual workers were being reviewed as Petrotrin faced the global oil crisis. He said the company's main focus is to pay off its debts.