Reproduced from the Trinidad Guardian
Predictably, the announcement by Ancel Roget, the president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), on Sunday that the trade union intended to serve an official strike notice on state-owned Petrotrin yesterday (Tuesday) led to thousands of motorists across the country flocking to gas stations to fill up their tanks.
Predictably, the announcement by Ancel Roget, the president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), on Sunday that the trade union intended to serve an official strike notice on state-owned Petrotrin yesterday (Tuesday) led to thousands of motorists across the country flocking to gas stations to fill up their tanks.
Up to late yesterday (Tuesday), many gas stations across the country had run out of the gasoline and diesel that have become an indispensable part of any modern economy.
Yesterday’s (Tuesday's) panic-buying of fuels is expected to be a forerunner of the critical situation that may develop across T&T if the OWTU goes ahead with its plan to launch a strike on Saturday. If there is a Petrotrin strike, there is little doubt that the entire country will lose.
Yesterday’s (Tuesday's) panic-buying of fuels is expected to be a forerunner of the critical situation that may develop across T&T if the OWTU goes ahead with its plan to launch a strike on Saturday. If there is a Petrotrin strike, there is little doubt that the entire country will lose.
The productivity in the country will decline as workers spend long hours in lines outside gas stations waiting for their fuel of choice.
If the strike is effective and it goes on for long enough, the country will soon run out of fuels altogether as, while members of the Defence Force may be in a position to drive the fuel tankers, the operation of the Petrotrin refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre requires specialised skills, which are not readily available outside Petrotrin.
If the strike is effective and it goes on for long enough, the country will soon run out of fuels altogether as, while members of the Defence Force may be in a position to drive the fuel tankers, the operation of the Petrotrin refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre requires specialised skills, which are not readily available outside Petrotrin.
Thirdly, the thousands of employees and contractors who earn their living by working directly at Petrotrin or for the scores of companies that supply goods and services to the company are also likely to lose as their incomes will be severely curtailed during the period of the strike.
The company, which operates one of a handful of oil refineries in the Caribbean region, will lose as it would be unable to meet its domestic and external commitment to supply fuels.
The company, which operates one of a handful of oil refineries in the Caribbean region, will lose as it would be unable to meet its domestic and external commitment to supply fuels.
In the last audited financial report available on its Web site, for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2010, Petrotrin recorded revenues of $25.9 billion and an after-tax loss of $134 million. This was an improvement from the $22 billion in revenues and the after-tax loss of $846 million that the company reported for the year ending September 30, 2009.
Given the large foreign loans that Petrotrin has taken in order to complete the long-overdue gasoline optimisation plan, it is safe to say that the company can ill afford strike action at this time.
Given the large foreign loans that Petrotrin has taken in order to complete the long-overdue gasoline optimisation plan, it is safe to say that the company can ill afford strike action at this time.
We do not intend, at this point, to go into the merits or demerits of the trade union’s case as opposed to the company’s position. Petrotrin has been much clearer in outlining what its proposal for a five per cent wage increase to the workers in the five bargaining units will mean for them.
In an advertisement in today’s (Wednesday's) newspapers, Petrotrin states that a general labourer at the company will earn a projected salary of $11,895.47—after the consolidation of the cost of living allowance and the application of the five per cent increase.
In the context of what other public sector employees such as teachers earn, can Mr Roget sustain his argument that a general labourer at Petrotrin is being deprived of a fair wage and would never accept a five per cent wage increase offer?
In the context of what other public sector employees such as teachers earn, can Mr Roget sustain his argument that a general labourer at Petrotrin is being deprived of a fair wage and would never accept a five per cent wage increase offer?
Also, while Mr Roget says that the union has reduced its demand considerably from its original 75 per cent wage increase, he has not made public the OWTU’s current demand nor how much that will cost the company.
Our recommendation is that the union cancels its strike notice, returns to the bargaining table and settles for something that will allow all the parties to walk away from the table feeling as though they are winners. As it stands, if the union goes ahead with its strike threat, we all lose.
Our recommendation is that the union cancels its strike notice, returns to the bargaining table and settles for something that will allow all the parties to walk away from the table feeling as though they are winners. As it stands, if the union goes ahead with its strike threat, we all lose.
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