Roget willing to meet with govt to discuss way forward

In a televised national address on Sunday evening, Rowley cited several factors at Petrotrin which necessitated the discussions, including falling oil production and a massive $20 billion dollar debt which he observed would require government’s intervention.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Roget described the proposed discussions as “long overdue” and noted that the union possessed the blueprint to rescue the ailing oil company. “For quite a while we have been calling for that with the sole intention to address all of the problems within the company because we have been saying that we are not only facing falling oil prices but we are facing falling production volumes,” Roget said.

He observed that Trinmar’s production had reduced from some 34,000 barrels per day several years ago to a current production of 21,000 barrels per day, while land production had also been reduced from 18,000 barrels per day to 12,000 barrel per day.

Roget said a comprehensive restructuring plan had been submitted to both the previous and present Boards to increase local oil production.

“We are saying there is a lot of potential for the company to ramp up its indigenous crude oil production, but it must be done in the right way and for the benefit of the country, not placed in private hands, and we will raise hell with anybody who comes to take away the country’s production.” He continued, “We presented to the indigenous board a comprehensive plan for the restructuring of the company’s operations, to radically overhaul the top management structure, to see about the pillars of accountability and transparency and focus on production but the indigenous board did absolutely nothing with that and we also presented it to this board of directors and to date we are still waiting.

“What exists right now is a superstructure with high-paying jobs manned by people who do not know what they are doing.

“They are placed there on the basis of political allegiance to the last government,” he alleged.

He said the Union’s plan was well supported by all of the workers as the vast majority “would like to see the company restructured.” “Yes we have the answers, yes we have the exact location where the bottlenecks are in terms of the production, where that production can be increased, we just need the support of an experienced and competent management to direct the workforce in a particular direction,” he added.