OWTU accuses Lennox Petroleum of 'ole talk'

The Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) chief labour relations officer, Lindon Mendoza, has summed up the responses from the management of Lennox Petroleum Services Ltd (LPSL) to ongoing protests as ole talk.

Speaking at the latest protest on Thursday last week, Mendoza charged that the union had presented evidence, while LPSL presents "ole talk" to the media and the public.

"Everything we say can be fact-checked and verified by court documents. We have all our evidence to back up what we are saying," Mendoza said. "They cannot produce documents to refute what we are saying. They are not speaking the truth. They are playing for time. Every day the company is allowed to keep the money, they benefit from the interest earned."

Mendoza spoke on behalf of protesting ex-workers outside the home of LPSL’s CEO Wayne Persad at Vistabella.

For the past few weeks, the group has protested outside the company's headquarters at Princess Margaret Street in San Fernando and the CEO’s home. They have accused the company of owing them about US$9.5 million.

Once again, Mendoza vowed that peaceful protests would continue until everyone is paid. He recalled that the matter went to court and the court ruled that LPSL should have paid the money by September 30. He said the company appealed unsuccessfully for a stay of execution of the payment, which the court delivered on November 23.

"It is not simply that he (Persad) owes them money, he is in violation of a court order," Mendoza said.

The company sent pre-action protocol letters to some protesters accusing them of making defamatory statements against the CEO. No such things occurred, Mendoza said, adding OWTU will assist the workers against any malicious prosecution.

Mendoza also accused police of ill-treating the protesters at the previous protest on Christmas Day at Vistabella. The union, he said, views the action as distasteful and unlawful. He said police threatened to arrest the protesters and made them disperse.

"It is a further injustice that the workers are in pursuit of what is theirs, and management could use agents of the State to oppress the population," Mendoza said. "OWTU has written an official complaint to the Commissioner of Police and we received acknowledgment of receipt."

Marabella police also met with Mendoza at the protest on Thursday. He told them the group had no intention of marching in the street or blocking it. Instead, he said they were "peacefully picketing in a safe and secure manner" in front of the residence.

He called on the business community, politicians and the nation to support the affected workers to ensure they get the outstanding money.

The company has been calling on the workers to stop the protests because there is a labour dispute litigation process in the court. A media release last week Thursday from LPSL said the company had "time and again" indicated its willingness to pay.

"However, the OWTU must be aware of the commercial realities of operating with a pandemic, which are made even more difficult to do business because of the reputational loss to creditors and customers caused by the ongoing protests and media attention," the release said. "There are ways and means prescribed by law for recovering money owed under a judgment, and disrupting operations, and harassing staff members are not included among these means."

Notwithstanding LPSL’s challenges, the company said it remains committed to meeting its properly defined legal obligations, saying it had done so for the past 40 years.

A notice in a daily newspaper on Thursday, purporting to be from LPSL’s workers called on the public to help find Persad. It said the workers were seeking information on the whereabouts of "our CEO Wayne Lennox Persad to get the money rightfully due to us!"

The notice had a photo of a man saying his "last known location" was at 21 Princess Margaret Street in San Fernando.

"The company headed by Mr Persad was mandated by an Industrial Court Order on July 8, 2020, to remit retroactive pay for the period 2015 to 2018 to workers on or before September 30, 2020. However, the CEO cannot be found," the notice said.

"Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact 783-7368."