Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales has assured that necessary safety measures will be implemented to protect utility workers, after a group of T&TEC employees were recently held at gunpoint on a job site.
According to reports, five crew members were attempting to remove an illegal connection from a home along Monroe Road, La Canoa, Santa Cruz, when an armed man emerged and threatened them.
The T&TEC workers contacted the police, who responded and apprehended the suspect.
Gonzales, in response to security concerns raised following the incident, told Guardian Media on Sunday that he will be engaging with the boards of all utility companies to ensure the safety of workers is not compromised.
He said: “The matter is a very, very serious one and in our quest and commitment to provide utility services to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, we will not allow the criminal elements to prevent our workers from venturing out to communities to do their work.”
Back in May, the T&T Postal Corporation (TTPost) ordered employees to desist from wearing clothing with any form of numbering which could be associated with, or linked to criminal gangs across the country, fearing this could lead to them becoming targets as they move around.
In an internal memorandum, delivery leaders and officers were told the directive was based on advice from the T&T Police Service.
Gonzales maintained that the latest incident was troubling.
“As a result of this unfortunate incident, T&TEC as well as WASA, TTPost and all other utility agencies will be taking appropriate measures to protect our workers on a daily basis,” he said.
President of the Public Services Association (PSA) Leroy Baptiste told Guardian Media that TTPS must also be included in the security detail accompanying workers, especially in areas identified as hot spots.
He said: “We have engaged the management to provide adequate security. In some areas, we insist upon not just security, but the TTPS being part and parcel of the security arrangement when workers are required to go into certain areas.
“That is supposed to be mandatory and what I would really call on workers is to stand firm when they are being asked to go in areas deemed to be hot spots and if there is a higher percentage risk for some kind of interaction with persons that may cause them injury if they simply don’t go and they get the union involved.”
Baptiste also argued that employers have a right to protect the safety and well-being of citizens.