The Oilfield’ Workers’ Trade Union says it fears that 9,000 workers would be directly affected by the closure of State oil company Petrotrin and has signalled that it will be exploring all possibilities including legal action, to get the Government and the Board of Petrotrin to reverse the decision to shut down the company.
Speaking to the T&T Guardian yesterday, Education and Research Officer of the OWTU Ozzie Warwick said the union had also known that the plan was to exit all 3,500 workers since the presentation made by Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet to the union on August 28.
Warwick said, “This is exactly what the union was saying. We have always said they are planning to send home all the workers.”
The Sunday Guardian reported yesterday that Espinet had confirmed that 3,500 employees would be sent home and would have to reapply for jobs.
Warwick said the real number was far higher than the reported 3,500.
According to Warwick, in addition to the 3,500 permanent workers, 2,000 casual and temporary workers and about 3,500 workers who were employed by various contractors will also be sent home.
The union is due to hold a news conference today which will be addressed by OWTU president general Ancel Roget.
Yesterday, Roget was unavailable for comment as was the Espinet who did not answer calls to his mobile phone.
Warwick accused Espinet of being less than honest when he said there was no plan to destroy the union.
Warwick said: “You send home 3,500 permanent workers plus the 2,000 causal and temporary workers who are also part of our membership, that is decimating our bargaining unit—it is union busting that is unfolding. The chairman he cannot say he not about to lick up OWTU, but that action of sending home 3,500 permanent workers and casual workers will do that.”
Warwick said the OWTU would be exploring all different possibilities including legal action. We are prepared to do everything that we can to reverse that decision.”
He said: This is why the union worked hard he said to “make sure that we had an alternative plan, so that the country will know there is a choice and the narrative that the country had no choice is just not true.”
He said when the union last met with the Petrotrin Board, Espinet promised that when next they met they would be able to go through the alternative and meet the people who came up with the numbers. But so far, he said, this had not happened.
Warwick said the union would be pushing for the meeting.
“Our point is that with a major decision like this, the country needs to know what is your rationale.” he stated.
He said there had been no hint that closure was on the board not even when the chairman appeared before Parliament’s Joint Select Committee in February or at any meeting with the union not even in April when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
Warwick said once the company was closed and workers had to reapply for their jobs, they would not be allowed to join a trade union and their terms and conditions would be inferior.
“This is not just about union busting but they are going to decimate the terms and conditions of workers in the oil and gas industry,” he said.