Workers should not be blamed for the multi-million-dollar losses incurred by State-owned Petrotrin, according to president general of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget.
And workers should not have to be in fear of losing their jobs, he said.
’A statement was recently made that 2,000 workers would be sent home. But that would be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back since we are not going to allow that to happen,’ said Roget.
’The man responsible for taking the company down is now chairman of two other enterprises, and the workers have to pay,’ he said.
Roget said the company’s 4,000-strong workforce would stay away from work next Monday and Tuesday.
There has been a call by a group known as The People’s Democracy to stay away from work next week and for citizens to wear red and attend a public rally this weekend.
Roget addressed workers outside the refinery at the Pointe-a-Pierre roundabout yesterday.
Roget said there was also a plot by management to replace the company’s estate police officers.
’We understand that tenders have been sent out to two security firms. But we would not allow the security to be replaced by contracted workers because workers lives would be jeopardised,’ he said.
A company official said yesterday there were no plans to retrench workers. ’We are not aware of a plan to send home workers. There is a strategic plan, however, that will take Petrotrin into a profitable organisation,’ the official said.
Roget said workers had no option but to stay at home two days next week in support of the national shutdown.
’And I believe there is a conspiracy by the editors of media houses to keep this shutdown out of the press. We are concerned about that,’ he said.
