No gas in South

Gas stations from Rio Claro, Princes Town and San Fernando were forced to close early due to the gas shortage while long lines, which snailed traffic for miles, were evident at those stations which still had a supply.

Deliveries of petroleum products were once again suspended for the second day after workers at Petrotrin’s Pointe-a-Pierre oil refinery downed tools over a number of unresolved issues including stalled wage negotiations, health and safety issues, and the suspension of two employees.

Workers from the company’s petroleum depot, marine department, maintenance, refinery, lab and medical departments once again assembled outside the company’s Pointe-a-Pierre main administration offices while operations at Trinmar Marine base, Exploration and Production facilities at Santa Flora, Forest Reserve, Penal and Guayaguayare were also shutdown due to the workers’ action.

Oilfields Workers Trade Union, (OWTU), Petrotrin branch secretary, Shaffick Hyatali, said workers were “in for the long haul” and had expressed frustration at the slow pace of negotiations.

He said workers were demanding a meeting with Petrotrin executive chairman, Malcolm Jones, but were informed that Jones and other board members were busy “packing” for their trip to Germany for the games involving the national team.

Hyatali reiterated that the company was refusing to budge from its offer of eight percent while the Union was sticking to its 35 percent counterproposal spread over three years.

He said the company had also refused to include bonus and other allowances into the wage negotations which began earlier in the year.

However, unlike what transpired yesterday road tanker wagons were allowed into the Petroleum Bond depot only to be turned away due to the worker shortage.

He said a mass meeting was to be held at the Pointe-a-Pierre roundabout today, to appraise workers and decide on the next step in the ongoing industrial dispute.

Efforts to contact Petrotrin corporate communications manager, Arnold Corneal proved futile, but the National Petroleum Marketing Company Ltd yesterday assured the population that there is sufficient stocks of petroleum products. NP CEO Richard Callender told Newsday that the workers’ action has resulted in the closure of Petrotrin’s petroleum depot and marine depots.

He said while this made it impossible for NP’s trucks to access petroleum products from the Petrotrin refinery yesterday, NP still had sufficient stocks of petroleum products at its Sea Lots plant.

Callender said NP trucks laden with petroleum had been dispatched to several parts of the country yesterday to ensure that gas stations were fully stocked.

He said while the situation was “ticklish” in parts of South Trinidad, NP gas stations in North, East and West Trinidad have not reported any fuel shortages or panic buying.

Callender added that NP will continue to closely monitor the situation at Petrotrin.