Protest at Mitsubishi plant

The protest took place almost one week after the successful completion of bpTT’s Juniper project at TOFCO’s fabrication yard at the Labidco Industrial Estate.

The Juniper project is a US$2 billion investment in Trinidad and Tobago and one of BP’s largest start-up projects in 2017.

Under a blistering early morning sun, dozens of placard-bearing residents chanted traditional union songs such as “We shall Overcome” while simultaneously calling for employment opportunities.

La Brea Village Council president, Marlon Greaves, said one of the main reasons for the protest action was due to the lack of job opportunities for persons living in the neighbouring fence line communities of La Brea and Vessigny.

“The community has been supporting this project from inception, and promises were made to ensure the fence line people were given first preference for the jobs, but that is not happening,” Greaves said, adding, “there is a breakdown in the process, they utilising the Ministry of Labour and they finding it problematic using the Ministry of Labour, and the people from the area not getting the job opportunity.” “So the people came out today to have a peaceful protest because we are in support of the project but they just want to ensure that what was promised to them that they receive it,’ he said.

Greaves observed that La Brea residents were often stigmatised as not having employable skills saying a significant number had worked on the billion dollar Juniper project.

“There is a stigmatisation that they cannot do the job, but TGU was built here, the Juniper project just finish, so the people just need the opportunity to prove themselves,” he said. A meeting is expected to take place on Monday between the community and the company to hire persons from the community.

Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL) is a joint venture enterprise led by the consortium of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc., Mitsubishi Corporation and local conglomerate Massy Holdings Ltd and would oversee the project development stage of the proposed Natural Gas to Petrochemicals Complex at Union Industrial Estate, La Brea, Trinidad.