[UPDATED] OWTU accuses T&TEC of endangering workers, public

A decision to dismantle the staff rotation system at the electricity commission could act as a covid19 superspreader and put both workers and the public at risk.

This is the view of the representing Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) which contends that the intention is to replace workers with private contractors.

OWTU president general Ancel Roget said the decision to scrap the union-sanctioned agreement to rotate workers, and bring them all out to work instead, will put the public at risk when crews respond to emergency calls and go into homes and offices.

He said what is happening at the TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is in contravention of the public health protocols and goes against appeals by the Prime Minister for adherence.

Roget called on the ministers of Public Utilities and Labour to intervene and stop this "chaos" or, he warned, T&TEC would not be able to guarantee a reliable and efficient supply of electricity.

He said the union intends to write to the Minister of Health to identify the contraventions to spur him to act or find out whether T&TEC is excluded from certain guidelines. The union is also considering legal action.

At a news conference on Thursday at the OWTU’s Paramount Building headquarters, San Fernando, Roget made it clear the union has no objection to all workers returning to the job, but insisted it must be done on a phased basis after risk assessments.

“We are not opposed to having all the workers come back out to work. But it must be done in a safe, secure and responsible manner and it must be consistent with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and consistent with the agreements we (the union and T&TEC) made.

“If management is allowed to go ahead with what they are planning, we could face some problems in this country with respect to the spread of not just covid19, but with the new delta variant."

He said everyone, "regardless of whether it’s an essential service or not, everybody is entitled to protect his or her own life. Your life comes first.”

Roget said he was not at liberty to say what action the union would take for the preservation of the lives of those it represents.

But in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, T&TEC said it was “regrettable” the OWTU would choose to resort to fear mongering among the public with imagined instances of a super-spreader site developing, and the possibility of employees taking the virus to customers.”

The company said a full return of staff is necessary for service reliability. It said several measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of all workers and customers.

“The commission has established, since April 2020, guidelines for employees to eliminate interaction with members of the public on the field. Guidelines are also in place to govern how crews work together safely, to minimise their risk of exposure.

“Since May, T&TEC has organised six vaccination drives for employees. Only 30 per cent of employees have taken up this opportunity. Some employees have also been vaccinated outside of the commission's efforts.

“We continue to dialogue with the OWTU to encourage its members to take all opportunities available to get vaccinated...”

T&TEC said it has done infrastructural upgrades to create physical distancing, implemented new and revised health and safety policies, provided PPE for all workers and implemented a rigorous sanitisation schedule in all buildings.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A decision to dismantle the staff rotation system at the electricity commission could act as a covid19 superspreader and put both workers and the public at risk.

The decision has aroused the suspicion of the representing Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU), which contends that the intention is to replace workers with private contractors.

President general of the OWTU Ancel Roget said the decision to scrap the union-sanctioned agreement to rotate workers, and bring them all out to work instead, will put the public at risk when crews respond to emergency calls and go into homes and offices.

He said what is happening at the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is in contravention of the public health protocols and goes against appeals by the Prime Minister for adherence.

Roget called on the ministers of Public Utilities and Labour to intervene and stop this "chaos" or, he warned, T&TEC would not be able to guarantee a reliable and efficient supply of electricity.

He said the union intends to write to the Minister of Health to identify the contraventions to spur him to act or find out whether T&TEC is excluded from certain guidelines. The union is also considering legal action.

At a news conference on Thursday at the OWTU’s Paramount Building headquarters, San Fernando, Roget made it clear the union has no objection to all workers returning to the job, but insisted it must be done on a phased basis after risk assessments.

“We are not opposed to having all the workers come back out to work. But it must be done in a safe, secure and responsible manner and it must be consistent with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and consistent with the agreements we (the union and T&TEC) made.

“If management is allowed to go ahead with what they are planning, we could face some problems in this country with respect to the spread of not just covid19, but with the new delta variant."

He said everyone, "regardless of whether it’s an essential service or not, everybody is entitled to protect his or her own life. Your life comes first.”

Roget said he was not at liberty to say what action the union would take for the preservation of the lives of those it represents.

There was agreement to rotate workers after several meetings between management and the union on safeguarding lives at T&TEC, which saw two covid19 deaths to date, over three dozen cases and more than 112 workers in quarantine before the rotation.

The numbers significantly decreased after the rotation measure was implemented. There were no disruption owing to the reduced numbers of workers and there were reportedly no disruptions to emergency responses or services.

“The reality is that the measures we put in place bore fruit, so why would you go against that now? There is no justification. Somebody is trying to provoke the union.”

The union called on general manager Kelvin Ramsook and human resource manager Jacqueline Cheeseman “to do the right thing.”

Roget called on Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales not to let T&TEC management “set you up.” but instruct them to do the right thing.

He said Labour Minister Stephen Mc Clashie. who is responsible for the OSH Authority, must also do the right thing to protect the lives of the workers and the public.