Otto Carrington
President General of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget is blaming the Trinidad and Tobago Electrical Commission (T&TEC) for the nationwide blackout in February.
Speaking during a protest action outside the Public Utilities Ministry, Roget said that contractors were to blame for this incident.
The union said this was one of the grievances raised with the Commission and the Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales.
"Not too long ago that incident that resulted in a nationwide shutdown where a tree fell on the powerline that is because the Commission is contracting out the jobs and the workers who are permanent to do the job was not allowed to do so because the job was contracted and the tree was not able to maintain hence it fell on the powerline," Roget said.
"We are here today on the brink of some other disaster that can happen as a result of T&TEC management negligence and as a result as we see now with the Minister of Public Utilities and all we want to do is to highlight it and let the population know," he added.
The President General added that he has written Minister Gonzales more than four times for a meeting and that the union has not been acknowledged to deal with matters of the workers at the Commission.
OWTU President General Ancel Roger left lead T&Tec workers in a peaceful protest outside the Ministry of Public Utilities, Alexander Street Port-of-Spain yesterday.
KERWIN PIERRE
