Baptiste-Primus congratulates OWTU

Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development
Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development

LABOUR Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus has congratulated the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) on its company securing the bid to operate the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

Although the union and the minister have been at loggerheads since she left labour for politics, Baptiste-Primus said she was very pleased on the success of Patriotic Energies and Technologies (Patriotic) on having emerged as the preferred bidder in the acquisition of the Guaracara Refining Company Ltd, and Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd.

“This is a major milestone of very profound national significance which will be indelibly etched in the annals of the history of the trade union movement in TT, as indeed the history of the nation for generations to come,” Baptiste-Primus said in a letter addressed to OWTU’s president general Ancel Roget.

“It is my heartfelt desire that your corporation’s deliberations, which will follow in pursuit of finalisation of all transactional arrangements, will redound to the mutual benefit of your union’s corporation, side by side with the ultimate development and progress of all the people of TT.

“I wish you, your union and your corporation continued success and best wishes in the years ahead,” she said in her letter.

Since the announcement in the Parliament by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, several business and political organisations have raised concerns about Patriotic’s ability to finance the operation.

In a statement, the union said it has been given one month to present to the evaluation committee a list of ten deliverables, including confirmation of its ability to finance the purchase and operate the refinery, a refinery start-up plan, plan for the supply of petroleum products during the transition to full operationalization, inclusive of the finalisation of an MOU with Trafigura PTE Ltd.

The OWTU said its team will be working very hard over the next few months to ensure these deliverables are met as the acquisition of this critical asset is in the best interest of TT.

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