Petrotrin,
union meet Thursday
By
Radhica Sookraj
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworld.com
07 30 06
Executive
members of the Oilfield Workers Trade union remained
locked in talks last night following a two hour
meeting with the Ministry of Labour.
The
ministerial meeting began at 9 am and was chaired
by a Ministry representative Selby Braithwaite.
Petrotrin’s
Vice Chairman Rollingson Agard and Industrial Relations
Manager Neil Derrick represented the company while
President General of the OWTU, Errol Mc Leod led
the union delegation.
Sources
said the Petrotrin team complained of a breakdown
in talks and an unwillingness by the union to settle
the negotiations by accepting a tenper cent general
wage increase.
Agard
also said that the company had offered a two per
cent annual one off lump sum, but this was rejected
by the union. Mc Leod said that the union had moved
from their initial 35 per cent demand to a 32 per
cent. He said that the final proposal was not cast
in concrete. He also said that the union was willing
to meet bilateral to discuss negotiations.
Braithwaite
advised both parties to settle the negotiations
peacefully. At the end of the three hour meeting,
both parties agreed to settle bilaterally.
A
meeting was carded for Thursday. Following the meeting,
the OWTU went into an internal strategy meeting.
Up
to last night, some of the plants at the refinery
including the Number one and Eight Topping plants
as well as the sulphur recovery unit were being
brought back on stream. However, the fluidised catalytic
conversion unit (FCCU) remained down.
Trinidad Guardian
Friday 28th July, 2006
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