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alexk
Guest
The Government is looking to sell the Petrotrin refinery and is trying to scale back on the number of workers in order to ensure a sale.
That is the firm belief of Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) leader Ancel Roget.
Roget, who led a prayer session outside the Prime Minister’s official residence in St Ann’s yesterday, said he believed Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley wants to get rid of the refinery.
If that is the case, then hundreds of Petrotrin employees could face the axe tomorrow after Petrotrin’s planned announcement following a proposed meeting with the union.
Roget yesterday admitted he was sceptical of the meeting with Petrotrin executives. (See editorial on Page A20)
“It is not a meeting, they are going to make an announcement,” he said in a telephone interview after his union ended three-hour long prayer session outside the PM’s residence.
Tuesday’s announcement could affect the livelihood of hundreds of jobs at the refinery, he said.
“Whoever they (Government) planning to sell the refinery to they want a much smaller staff,” Roget said.
He said some of the union’s recommendations to the company were taken and he suspects these will be used by the incoming owners. He said Rowley told the union he had received a recommendation from advisers on the best move for the company but did not share that information with the union during a meeting last week.
“He would only say that it would be painful and that the country does not need to be a refinery, that the refinery is the problem. He (Rowley) said that the region is moving away from liquid fuel,” Roget said.
Roget asked if the PM believed this, why did NiQuan Energy receive the Government’s support to invest and purchase the failed World Gas to Liquids plant.
“It seems there is an agenda to ensure the sale of the refinery,” Roget said.
Yesterday, just hours before the prayer session, Energy Minister Franklin Khan said Petrotrin’s debt could bankrupt the country. Khan held a media conference to shed some light on the Petrotrin situation and the deal signed with Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. He said the restructuring of the state-owned company is expected to be rolled out tomorrow, following the meeting with the OWTU. (See page A5)
Over the weekend Rowley waded into the fray as well, saying that Petrotrin could not continue the way it was going and that things must change.
The T&T Guardian sent messages to both Rowley and Khan about Roget’s statement but did not receive a response up to last evening.