By Invera Arjoon Monday, October 19 2009

The Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) is calling for the shut down of all projects on which Chinese workers are employed and the immediate shut down of the camp located at Ramsaran Trace, Cunupia.

“We are calling for it to shut down,” said Ancil Roget of the camps.

This as the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) again visited the camp on Friday to ensure that certain recommendations their County Medical Officer of Health made were followed. According to Roget, “Enough was seen and there are more than enough valid grounds to immediately shut the camp down, and we feel NCRHA is not acting fast enough and we insist that they take action now,” he said.

“The working conditions are unhealthy, unsanitary and unsafe and those workers need to be relocated right now and then repatriated back to their homeland,” Roget said. “The OWTU is currently engaged in talks with a team of lawyers and is prepared to provide free legal representation to the workers, said Roget .

“Investigations and inspections should be launched into all other companies importing Chinese labour and if similar conditions are discovered then all of them should be closed,” Roget said.

While the OWTU does not support the importation of Chinese labour, Roget said according to the International Human Rights standards and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), once workers are here the law applies to them.

He said several complaints were made by OWTU to Labour Minister Renee Dumas about the treatment of Chinese workers.

“The Minister said he investigated all of them and found no substance to our complaints,” he said.

In a joint press release the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development and OSHA said they have been meeting with the Beijing Liujian Construction Corporation of China and the affected workers with a view to resolving the issues between the company and its individually contracted workers.

Labour Minster Rene Dumas on Friday met with officials of the Chinese Embassy and the Beijing Company at Riverside Plaza and has assigned the Chief Labour Relations Officer and Chief Inspector to work with both parties to bring about a speedy and amicable resolution, the release further stated.