Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) President Ancil Roget has declared that workers at the T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) will continue their protests despite an industrial court injunction barring them from industrial action.
Speaking at a media conference in San Fernando yesterday, Roget insisted that the injunction could not prevent workers from highlighting issues at T&TEC. He stressed that while the court order prohibited industrial action, workers are protesting outside their working hours, which he maintains does not violate the ruling.
Roget also criticised the court’s stance, stating that the OWTU felt threatened by its warning of possible jail time should the union be deemed to have engaged in industrial action. He dismissed the idea that the union was committing any offence, saying, “Jail is for criminals.”
He accused T&TEC of using company resources to hire “high-priced” attorneys to secure the injunction in an attempt to silence workers.
“That injunction did not and cannot and shall not prevent the workers from continuing their protest action. My first announcement this morning is the protest action at T&TEC, involving the workers, will continue, both in the workers’ interest and in the public’s interest. We will continue with that. It is not industrial action,” Roget asserted.
The protests, he said, will persist until T&TEC resolves longstanding issues, particularly defective equipment. He claimed some company vehicles are in such poor condition that one has no air conditioning, forcing employees to use umbrellas inside when it rains. He added that T&TEC also had an aged fleet.
“We are not engaged in industrial action, but we will not operate defective equipment, tools, and vehicles,” he said.
Roget further stated that a lack of spare parts is contributing to equipment failures.Additionally, he said workers struggle to access essential personal protective equipment (PPE). The union has called for a centralised and efficient procurement system to ensure standardised PPE distribution.
The shortage of manpower, he added, has led to excessive overtime, which is affecting workers’ health and family lives.
“A high level of overtime indicates an operational deficiency,” he said, arguing that T&TEC’s management is using the injunction to pressure workers into working additional hours under threat of arrest.
Addressing wage concerns, Roget pointed out that the last salary adjustment for T&TEC workers was in 2014. Now, 15 years later, workers have been told there will be no increase. The union has appealed a recent judgment on the matter, which Roget described as “unfair, wicked, and highly political.” He accused the court of disregarding the workers’ contributions and economic conditions, instead using external evidence to support T&TEC’s position.
He also called for a forensic audit into what he described as a “corrupt contract system” at T&TEC.
Guardian Media reached out to T&TEC yesterday for a response and is awaiting a statement.