OWTU: We’re not forcing anyone

FORMER Petrotrin workers who come out to the Oilfield Workers Trade Union’s (OWTU) march on May Day, will receive favourable consideration from the union when it acquires Paria refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre from the Government.

An e-mail from OWTU general secretary Richard Lee urged that all union members come out in their numbers to the May 1 march at the Pointe-a-Pierre roundabout. Lee’s e-mail as well as several WhatsApp messages which subsequently followed, were sent to Newsday yesterday by an ex-Petrotrin worker who is an OWTU member.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, said the tone of the e-mail and WhatsApp messages made him feel as if he was being forced to march on May Day.

The man said that after applying for a position at Patriotic Energies and Technologies Ltd, he received e-mails and WhatsApp messages from the union saying he must attend the May 1, May Day march. Patriotic Energies and Technologies Ltd is a limited liability company established by the OWTU with the aim of acquiring selected assets of Petrotrin owned by government.

“If we are not present, we will not be considered for jobs if and when the OWTU gets the refinery. I have the e-mails that were sent to me by the general secretary as well as WhatsApp messages which are being sent by union officials to intimidate job applicants,” the ex-refinery worker said.

In an e-mail to OWTU members, Lee confirmed that the union is in the process of acquiring the refinery and other E&P (exploration and production) assets.

“Your active presence standing and marching with us on May Day will be a strong indication of your commitment to this cause & would certainly go a long way,” Lee said in the e-mail. “In this regards, the Union will make favourable recommendations for those who stand with us.”

A subsequent WhatsApp message stated: “Just to let everyone know, the PG (president general - Ancel Roget) said that Patriotic received almost 6,000 applications for employment in the refinery and he wanted to ensure that those who struggled with the union were the ones who must benefit from that struggle.

“So as a result, the WhatsApp message continued, we will be taking down and registering names of all comrades who will be present to take part in the March. Also going forward, this will also be enforced for all union activities where support will be required.”

Contacted for comment, Lee said it was a normal procedure to register all who participated in any march the union was hosting. “We always have a roll call to find out who attended. I don’t understand why someone would say we are forcing them to march. For a fact, the union is not involved in the hiring process. In anything we have, it is a normal procedure to have registration or a role call.”

OWTU eduction officer Ozzie Warwick said the union had nothing to do with recruitment and that hiring workers was handled external to the union.

After receiving a copy of the WhatsApp messages, Warwick said they did not indicate that if people did not march on May Day, they would not get a job. “What I understand from the messages is that people are just trying to mobilise their colleagues, friends and co-workers. But the union has nothing to do with that.

“People will use all different types of language to mobilise people, but as I said, the actual hiring is not within the union’s purview. But you cannot really stop people from saying different things to mobilise people,” Warwick said.