Roget: 9,000 to be affected

OWTU president general Ancel Roget says about 9,000 workers would be affected by the impending closure of the refinery at state-owned oil company Petrotrin.

Speaking at a press conference at the OWTU’s San Fernando office Tuesday, he said that amount includes permanent, casual and temporary workers as well as people employed by local service contractors.

“It is not 1,700 workers, it is 3,500 workers. All the employees of Petrotrin are going to be sent home. Trinidad and Tobago, they are going to shut the company down.

“So when the Prime Minister says 1,700, you can’t trust these figures, it is all 3,500 plus 2,000 casual/ temporary employees and 3,500 contractor employees and project type employees giving you a total of some 9,000.

“And when you multiply by five, you end up with over 40,000 human beings that are going to be impacted by the closure of Petrotrin.” Roget used five as an average number of persons in a household.

However, during yesterday’s Parliamentary sitting, Energy Minister Franklin Khan said 3,500 permanent workers and 1,200 non-permanent workers would be terminated following the refinery’s closure.

Roget also disputed statements by Energy Minister Franklin Khan that TT’s crude oil could generate a profit if it is sold on the international market saying TT’s crude possessed a very high sulphur content which made it virtually impossible to sell. He said the best option for local crude was to mix with imported crude and refined at the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery to make petroleum products which could then be exported.

Roget said the refinery’s closure was not only also generating discussion throughout the Caribbean region but noted that TT would lose the CARICOM market.

“We are set to lose that regional market simply because of a poor decision to close the refinery and we can produce our own fuel and export it,” Roget said.

He once again called on government to “make public” the report which recommended the refinery’s closure as well as whether the company would be able to prosecute any individual or company which was involved in the fake oil fiasco.