Union: Give OWTU, Patriotic a chance

A trade union leader is calling on the Opposition and the country at large to pray that the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) succeeds in taking over the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, saying the country can only benefit from such an arrangement.

“Give the OWTU a chance to purchase and operationalise the refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre,” president general of the Contractors and General Workers Trade Union (CGWTU) Joseph Phillip said yesterday.

Phillip said if OWTU succeeded, the country would benefit. He said thousands of jobs would be created, not only for those to be employed or re-employed in the refinery but vendors, the service station workers and taxi drivers who were all feeling the pinch of the refinery shutdown.

“It will have a ripple effect in the fenceline communities. Having a stagnant economy is trouble.”

Phillip said he was pained by the action taken to stop the sale, and asked people to support rather than obstruct the sale.

“If OWTU is going to resurrect that refinery, people will get work and we need to help them achieve this goal. Even if you feel they will fail, pray for them to succeed.

“The CGWTU stands in solidarity with the OWTU. There will be challenges, but I know once started it would be viable.”

The OWTU’s wholly-owned company, Patriotic Energies and Technologies Company Ltd, was selected as the preferred bidder for the refinery which is now known as Guaracara Refining Co Ltd. Patriotic must meet deadlines to deliver on conditions set by government before it can claim ownership and restart the refinery.

The Opposition UNC has raised several red flags about the transparency of the process and a former UNC senator, Wayne Sturge, filed an injunction to stop the sale of the refinery in a bid to spur government to reconvene the Joint Select Committee on Energy, which had not met in 20 months.

The injunction was withdrawn on Thursday, as a meeting of the JSC has been called for next Wednesday

The UNC has since distanced itself from the injunction filed by Sturge, but the OWTU is not convinced, saying it was an unprovoked attack by the party.

Phillip, who is also third vice president of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC), said he was very concerned about what was happening.