A letter was delivered to Executive Director of the Occupational Health and Safety Agency (OSHA), Carolyn Sancho by the executive of the Oil field Workers Trade Union on Friday.
According to OWTU President, Ancel Roget, this letter was issued on behalf of workers from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) complaining about the lack of an adequate response to complaints pertaining to health and safety breaches.
“For quite a while you would have seen us raising in the public domain through the medium of the media all of these issues and what did T&TEC do? T&TEC chose to stifle or to prevent or to attempt to prevent us from alerting the public as to what is happening within the commission.”
One such issue, according to the Union President, is the creation of an unsafe work environment due to excessive and prolonged overtime. Mr Roget said when workers voice their complaints, it is often considered a form of industrial action by management.
“This is not industrial action, there are not the workers here this is the executive of the union here making a complaint on behalf of the workers, which workers are placed in harms way because of T&TEC’s inability and or unwillingness to address all of these health and safety concerns and they refuse to talk to us at the highest levels.”
In response, the Trinidad and the Tobago Electricity Commission, T&TEC said they will continue to investigate and address reports pertaining to health and safety concerns that are submitted by the OWTU.
Via media release, the Commission said, to date, no report was received from the OWTU Executive through the correct channels.
The release continued noting that the Union is aware of the process by which to make reports, including the provision of necessary details related to the individual matters.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to the health and safety of its employees as they work to provide a safe and reliable electricity supply to its customers.