Khan: Petrotrin workers to get back pay 'shortly'

ENERGY Minister Franklin Khan says retrenched Petrotrin workers will receive theiroutstanding back pay "shortly."

He was responding to an urgent question yesterday from Opposition Senator Wade Mark about a protest on Monday by retrenched Petrotrin workers in front of the gates of the Paria Fuel Trading Company, Pointe-a-Pierre, calling for their outstanding severance and back pay after Petrotrin’s closure on November 30.

Mark asked when the workers would be paid.

Khan said the question was claiming non-payment of severance and non-payment of back pay.

"There is no non-payment of severance. Workers that were due for severance have all been paid."

He said of a total of just over 2,000 temporary employees, 1,060 qualified for severance, and had all been paid.

He said the other issue was back pay and the termination letters to the employees promised back pay. He said this arose out of an award granted by the court for six per cent for the period 2011-2014. He explained because the workers were casual and their hours were inconsistent, there had be to be individual calculations for each worker.

"I want to give the workers the commitment today that they would all be paid in the shortest order."

He said the new company was working assiduously to complete the calculations and it was expected payments would be made "very, very shortly."