OWTU: TTEC's lax response to covid19 could affect service

THE OILFIELDS Workers’ Trade Union warned, if the management at the TT Electricity Commission, (TTEC) does not take the threat of covid19 and the effect it would have on its workers seriously, customers would eventually have to pay the price.

OWTU vice president Peter Burke issued the warning during a press briefing at the union’s office on Henry Street, Port of Spain, on Thursday. Burke complained that there was no “sensible rotation” of staff and co-mingling among staff is exacerbating the spread of the virus.

He said, despite calls and advice by the union to act urgently in their response to cases being reported, the company continues to wait days before sanitisation of any area. That could lead to a wider spread of the virus, and with 12 people testing positive for covid19 and 250 people being put in quarantine as primary or secondary contacts, the rapid reduction in numbers could result in a reduction in service.

Burke said those numbers included a confirmed case of covid19 discovered in TTEC’s northern distribution departments earlier this week and, as a result, 23 people had to be quarantined. “What is disturbing is because of those 23 quarantined individuals, six crews had to be disbanded.”

Burke said, on March 25, the union and the commission agreed that workers would operate on two-week shifts, which would allow for one crew to work for two weeks, then be off-duty for the next two weeks, which would be in line with the gestational period of the virus, and allow for each crew member to work the same hours.

“The commission is working the same two weeks but they are doing it one day on and one day off.”

He knocked the strategy, saying if someone were to contract the virus, they would still be able to spread it before the gestational period is complete and any symptoms of the virus could be noticed.

Burke also accused officials at the Public Health Authority of advising primary contacts to go to work as normal – advice that was subsequently reversed by the office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on Monday.

“We see this ambiguity in the health protocols as extremely dangerous to the population. I don’t think we can take chances on the health of workers and it is always better to err on the side of caution.”

Burke added that the management of the commission has taken a laid back approach to sanitization of departments, pointing out that since the positive case was discovered on Monday, up to press time on Thursday the department had not been sanitised.

Burke said the union has pleaded with TTEC’s management to take up better practices when treating with covid19, but those calls have fallen on deaf ears.

“This laissez-faire style has become dangerous to the well being of the TTEC workers,” Burke said.

“If TTEC has to continue operations, no matter how bad this pandemic gets, it means we have to protect those workers.”