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alexk
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Predicting an exponential increase in fuel prices at the pumps if the Government succeeded in shutting down the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union president general Ancel Roget yesterday called on all citizens to join with the union to stop the sale of Petrotrin’s assets.
Also calling for a boycott of the People’s National Movement Government starting yesterday, Roget said after 100 years in the oil and gas industry, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was now taking T&T back to the days of colonialism by ending Petrotrin’s refinery operations to import fuel for domestic consumption.
Addressing hundreds of workers at Beaumont Hill, Pointe-a-Pierre, Roget said under the new restructuring plan, T&T’s crude oil will be exported as raw material and local consumers will have to import the finished product at exorbitant prices similar to the days of slavery.
“Who will supply us with fuel?” Roget asked, with someone in the crowd shouting back, “Venezuela.”
“If that country faces a natural disaster or political civil unrest or economic mayhem, we will be at their mercy and they could cripple our economy! Is the Government thinking about that?” Roget asked as the crowd applauded.
Accusing the Government of betraying the citizenry, Roget said they will resist any attempt to sell Petrotrin’s assets. He said during a meeting with the Petrotrin board yesterday, three proposals were outlined which the union rejected.
The first option was to leave Petrotrin as it is; the second to downsize the entire Exploration/Production and Refining operations and the third was to shut down the refinery, send home all workers and rehire a workforce of 1,000.
Roget said Petrotrin currently employs 3,500 permanent workers. But out of the 1,000 to be rehired under the new plan, he said Petrotrin plans to use 800 for the Exploration and Production fields and 200 for the turn-milling operations which will replace the refinery.
Asked what will happen to the existing refinery, Roget said there was the suspicion that all its 33 functional plants will be sold in a fire sale to a company now hiding behind the scenes and directing the Government to betray the people of T&T.
Saying the PNM will face a terrible political backlash for this action, Roget said the motoring public had every reason to be worried, adding that consumers may end up paying international prices for fuel in the near future. This, he said, will cause mayhem in T&T.
“We have seen the heartless intentions of Dr Rowley to unleash a type of hardship that this country has never seen before,” Roget said.
Told that Petrotrin said it was not selling the refinery, Roget said, “We do not trust the Petrotrin board or the Government.”
He said since 2011, the OWTU had submitted a proposal to Petrotrin to turn around the fortunes of the floundering company by setting up four divisions—Land: North and East (LNE), Trinmar Offshore Operations, Exploration and Production and the Augustus Long Hospital. He said each entity would be held accountable for boosting crude oil, the production of which will reduce the existing crude importation for the refinery. Roget said under this plan, without any further drilling activity an increase of 5,000 barrels per day would have been achieved and once there was a full reactivation of Southwest fields, a further 3,000 barrels per day would have been achieved.
He added that on April 3, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed with the board to implement the union’s proposal but behind the workers’ backs, the company decided to shut down the refinery and send home workers. He revealed that 100,000 barrels of oil per day are imported to run the refinery, while production levels are at 40,000 barrels of oil per day.
He said a meeting will be held with the company on Monday to further discuss proposals, adding that Petrotrin will only save $2 billion if the refinery operations were shut down.
Roget also warned that the board has already cancelled orders for crude oil imports in a bid to ramp down operations at the refinery, so although it asked for a meeting it seemed the death of the refinery was already a “done deal.”
He advised the workers to blank the PNM by not attending its meetings and fetes, adding anyone who supports the party was showing no self-respect for themselves or the country. He also warned that the union will be utilising several strategies to ensure that the Government does not send T&T into a tailspin by shutting down Petrotrin.