Oil workers march on 6th anniversary of Petrotrin closure

SIX years after state-owned Petrotrin was shut down, ex-workers led by their representing Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) held a candlelight vigil, march and rally outside the entrance to the refinery on November 30.

The march started at Tropical Plaza and ended at the Pointe-a-Pierre Roundabout which separates the former administration building and entrance to the refinery.

President general of the OWTU Ancel Roget in an address, maintained the closure on November 30, 2018, was the greatest crime committed against the workers, people of south Trinidad and all citizens.

He vowed that soon workers would march back into the refinery. Asserting that the asset belonged to the people of TT, he warned of consequences to follow if anyone should try to get in through the back door to operate the refinery.

“Regardless of what they say or how they try to spin it, Petrotrin was shut down.

“Today we mark the sixth anniversary of the closing down of one of the most important state enterprises in the country, a state enterprise that has enormous history, a state enterprise that provided food not just for the workers who worked there, but through the economic activities, put food on the tables of all citizens.

“Whether they knew it or not, Petrotrin was the breadbasket of TT.”

In 2018, Government divided Petrotrin into four subsidiaries – Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd, Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd, Guaracara Refinery Ltd and Petrotrin EAP Services Ltd – and shut down its refinery at Point-a-Pierre.

At this year's march on November 30, Roget said Government had attempted to demonise workers, telling the country carpenters were working for upwards of $40,000 a month and people bought in and supported that narrative when it came to the closure.

Roget said instead of the closure being "a Petrotrin thing, or the 5,000 workers thing,” Roget said it had a ripple effect that caused deep trauma to citizens and a rapid increase in social and societal issues being faced today.

He said people were adversely affected from Pointe-a-Pierre to the southwestern contractors, service providers, caterers and people in other parts of the country.

He drew the conclusion that the foreign exchange shortage this country is now experiencing has a direct link to the closure of Petrotrin.

“We are in a foreign-exchange (forex) crisis because they shut down a major foreign-exchange earner, a major entity that brought forex into the country.

“Oil workers were providing that for you. We did not have that problem before November 2018.”

When casting blame, he told the public don’t look in the direction of the workers or the union, “blame Rowley, blame the late lying Khan (former energy minister Franklin Khan), blame (Finance Minister Colm) Imbert.”

He further chastised the Prime Minister for accepting the report of the Salaries Review Commission (SCR) which has recommended a 45.7 per cent increase in salary for Rowley. All elected MP’s, senators, the President along with top public servants and members of the judiciary would receive substantial pay increases as well.

“Politicians don’t work. Rowley is lazy and when he suffers the people, the people cry out for justice.

“We tend to forget it is a job these people have. Sometimes we feel they are lords and overlords and kings and queens, and they could do whatever they want, and we allow them.

“Their job (government) is to ensure the standard of living of citizens is maintained. They have fallen down on the job. Having fallen down, they are taking a hefty increase for themselves, but those workers they sent home now have their pension in jeopardy, their medical plan in jeopardy, but you (Rowley) flying out to get the best medical attention.”

Roget vented if another prime minister had accepted the SRC recommendation amid the economic situation in which Rowley is telling the rest of the country to tighten their belts, there would have been chaos.

“If anybody else told the people ‘I want my money’ this place would have been upside down. Such is the hypocrisy of the people; such is the racial divide of the people that they refuse to call a spade a spade. “

He recalled prior to the closure, the OWTU was educating and informing the country about the pending closure, he said they will embark on a similar exercise soon.

In the meantime, the OWTU is mobilising for a mass protest march and rally in Port of Spain on December 7.