TTEC workers protest looming lay-offs

Peter Burke, executive officer of the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union, made this claim yesterday at a protest in front of the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission’s (TTEC) head offices at the corner of Park Street and Fredreick Street, Port-of-Spain. Burke spoke on behalf of several temporary workers of TTEC.

He said, “This protest here is about job security, particularly in the context of poor policy and inefficient and corrupt management at TTEC.

Earlier this week, the union called for a meeting because we were hearing rumours about temporaries being sent home and after the meeting, we felt that the management took a decision as a first resort to send home people. And when we did the math, sending home those temporary workers, many of whom have exceeded the limit by which they should remain temporary, would have only cost the Commission, 0.3 percent of their revenue.

So therefore, sending the workers home is not going to make a difference to the Commission’s financial situation.

Burke also alleged that the company has been hiring contractors and paying them exorbitant fees in spite of these contractors not having done any work.

He called for an investigation into the matter, and into the procurement process of necessary goods and services by the company.

According to him, over 200 temporary workers would be dismissed, beginning with those over age fifty-five and those with less than five years service.