A strike by more than 250 employees of Inland Offshore Company Limited (IOCL) is now in its second month and while Petrotrin admits the strike is hurting its Trinmar operations, the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) wants to know why the state oil company has not taken action against the contractor.
The OWTU served strike notice on IOCL on October 20 after negotiations broke down and the union is concerned that both IOCL and Petrotrin are allowing the impasse to continue.
Workers told the T&T Guardian it seems that Petrotrin is willing to allow the strike to continue for the 90 days. In the meantime, they say, Trinmar's production continues to decline.
IOCL is one of three companies contracted to provide marine transport to Petrotrin's Trinmar operations.
OWTU president general Ancil Roget said: "Once the Trinmar workers cannot go offshore to kick off the wells and operate the platforms production falls, there is less oil going into the refinery,.
"Contract workers are supposed to be paid the minimum rates applicable to company workers as contained in the collective agreement between the OWTU and Petrotin."
Petrotrin officials admitted that the strike affected its operations at Trinmar as "reliable transport is critical to ensuring our effectiveness in servicing our offshore installations."
Roget said the situation brings into question the management of the oil company as it is imperative that Petrotrin be managed properly. His criticisms came on the same day with reports that Petrotrin had registered another massive financial loss.
The union leader said after one year in office Petrotrin president Fitzroy Harewood "has made no difference to the operations of the company, which includes Trinmar."
He added: "If Trinmar is to become a viable operation it ought to be a separate entity able to make decisions which can bring about an increase in production."
According to Roget, Trinmar currently produces 21,000 barrels of oil per day and has the potential to increase production capacity by an additional 4,000 barrels a day.
"With the falling price of oil what we can do is mitigate that by increasing the volume of indigenous oil production, which will put us in a better position to rally the economic storm," he said.
"There is a lot of potential for indigenous crude. The more indigenous crude Trinmar can produce, the less reliance we will have on foreign crude."
He said the OWTU presented a plan last Friday which, if it goes into effect will see an increase in the production of Trinmar's indigenous crude. He said he wonders whether Petrotrin officials really care about the asset.
Roget Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, former energy minister Nicole Olivierre and her successor Franklin Khan all recognise the potential in Trinmar's operations for increasing indigenous oil production and reducing the dependence on imported oil.
However, he said, a contractor who is key to the operation and has a guaranteed contract to provide a service for Trinmar is allowed to operate without sanction or pressure to settle the negotiation.
The OWTU leader questioned the priorities of the Energy Minister who he claimed was focused on local government elections at the expense of the Trinmar operations. Khan could not be reached for comment on that claim.