OWTU not convinced about payment plans

THE Oilfields Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) is not convinced everything is in place for Petrotrin workers to get their termination benefits, suh as their pensions, when the company closes on Friday.

President general of the union Ancel Roget said that up to yesterday, the board could not say "for sure" if Petrotrin intends to pay severance payments to all workers.

Today, at a press conference at OWTU's headquarters at San Fernando, Roget accused the Government of telling lies about paying off all the workers.

"Workers are going to be made pensioners as a result of early retirement on Friday. Some 1,270 new retirees are going to join the pension arrangements from December 1. What that does is further exacerbate a plan that is already in deficit," Roget said.

He called on the Government to be fair and to do the "decent thing" to ensure all the workers receive their benefits.

With new arrangements for the pension plan announced recently, Roget said it benefits no one, and the union urged chairman Wilfred Espinet to rectify the situation before Friday.

"We were told by the chairman not to worry and that he is sourcing funds – which funds will come from the shareholders – and this problem will be taken care of by Friday.

"We don’t trust the word of the chairman and we do not trust a word of this Cabinet."

Roget said the union is looking out very scrupulously, guarding jealously and paying close attention to what is happening betweennow and Friday.

"You could very well find a situation where Friday comes, and they sent all the workers home but what they guarantee is not in place."

Roget accused Petrotrin of taking away all the workers' benefits. The company searched the market, he said, and found the most minimum, bare-bones medical plan arrangement and offered it to the workers.

"It is the worst medical plan arrangements in the country or perhaps in the region. There can be no greater atrocity than to dislodge retirees who today are in desperate need of medical care and attention form that medical care and attention and placed them in a situation where they are left for dead," Roget said.

On the issue of the hiring process for the Heritage Petroleum Company and Paria Fuel Trading Company, which replace the state-owned Petrotrin, Roget said Espinet refuses to say what criteria would be used.

Failure to provide such information, Roget said, was against the recent court judgement in which the company us duty-bound to provide answers. It constitutes contempt of court, he said, and the union will be going for contempt of court proceedings in respect of their refusal to answer those questions.

When asked if the soon-to-be-sent-home workers are in talks with the new companies, Roget said: "We suspect that might be happening. There is always an attempt to fool some people and there are always some people are willing to be fooled."

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