OWTU holds elections to prepare for national polls

The Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) is gearing up for national elections by holding its own internal executive elections six months before they are due.That’s the word from president general Ancel Roget, who said this is to ensure the union’s leadership can advise both its members and the population on their choices for the forthcoming local government and general elections.

He also said the union’s membership is strong and growing daily despite the closure of state-owned oil company Petrotrin.Roget was speaking to reporters after filing nomination papers for his OWTU Rebels team at the union’s Paramount Building headquarters, Circular Road, San Fernando yesterday.Asked why the internal election, which is due in 2020, is being held six months earlier, he said this is to enable the new union leadership to “consolidate its position to be able to fight all of the battles that we know are current and the battles to come.

“We want to be firmly well seated in office, well prepared, have our machinery oiled for when those elections, national elections come up.

“We want to tell those who take away the jobs from our members, we want to be able to advise our members when they come asking for a job what to do and to do that we must be properly well consolidated.”He said there are too many injustices occurring in TT today against unionised and non-unionised workers by both government and private-sector employers.