OWTU elections next month

The post of president general of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) is up for grabs as the union is scheduled to hold elections for a new executive on August 5. In a media release yesterday, the union said all positions would be declared vacant on Nomination Day – July 8 – paving the way for any member who has been in good financial standing for at least a year to file his/ her papers for any position on the executive for 2019-2022.

There are 12 positions available. In a telephone interview, Lee said the decision to hold the election was taken at a statutory general council meeting on June 22. “The last election was held in January 2017, so as it is in the middle of the term, six months before the end of the year, we can call it anytime during that period.”

“This is just to fortify our position so when we move into the new period we will basically have everything fortified and we will do exactly what the country requires of us to do.”Asked whether the union’s members had declined following Petrotrin’s closure last November, he said members had made-over-the counter payments to the union as “there are a lot of matters still outstanding at the ministry (of Labour) and at the court.”

“According to the IRA you must be a financial member, so we didn’t actually lose much members, because people have their matters going on and some came and paid like 14 months in advance. So we still strong.”