Saturday, February 11 2012

THE country has been warned to brace for a disruption of petroleum supplies as the Oilfields Workers Trade Union, [OWTU], has signalled its intention to serve legal strike notice on State-owned oil company Petrotrin next Tuesday.

OWTU officials announced the strike action yesterday following the breakdown of conciliation discussions between the union and Petrotrin officials at the Ministry of Labour’s St James Street, San Fernando office.

Addressing scores of blue-shirt clad union members, an OWTU official said, “Tuesday morning, we want the biggest gathering of workers at the Pointe a Pierre roundabout (in Marabella) when at exactly 8 am, we

will serve intention to strike...a legal strike notice.

“We would serve them with the notice which would allow us to withhold our labour for 90 days,” the official thundered.

Another official said, Labour Minister Errol McLeod could yet still intervene in the stalled negotiations saying there was a seven day window by which the Ministry could issue an unresolved certificate, which would witness the issue being taken before the Industrial Court.

“The minister still has a chance over the weekend, between now and then,” the official said.

And recounting the events which led to the breakdown of negotiations, the OWTU official said that following the stalemate, the minister had been contacted but had asked that both parties sign an extension to continue negotiations.

“We said, contact the Minister because this thing is urgent and he has between now and midnight to play his part.

“The minister didn’t come. He requested that we sign an extension and the company sign an extension until he makes an intervention Thursday, next week, Thursday,” the official said.

OWTU head Ancil Roget reiterated the union’s position that they would not be prepared to accept “any five percent” and that “we are not prepared top go back into a new collective agreement period with the same terms and conditions and they must go and come back with an adjusted proposal worthy of the union’s consideration.”

Officials said the talks had stalled after the company was unable to state whether it would be able to go above five percent. During the talks, the officials told Petrotrin management that at this point, no further purpose can be served by having discussions.

The OWTU workers then embarked on a march along St James Street in San Fernando to the sounds of tassa and drums. Several of them held aloft placards which read, among other words, “No gas, no mas” and “no 5 percent”.