Though their numbers are dwindling, Petrotrin Trinmar retirees continue their struggle for outstanding benefits.
Standing outside the compound of the old Petrotrin Trinmar headquarters, now under Heritage Petroleum, the retirees held another demonstration yesterday.
During their struggle for their medical plan, savings plan and profit sharing benefits over the past five years, they say some 600 retirees have died.
Fearing that they will suffer the same fate before they get their benefits, spokesman Anthony Richards said since their previous protest last year, 45 retirees have died.
Boasting that the Petrotrin medical plan was the best in Caribbean, he believes that many of the retirees who passed on may have still been alive if the medical plan was still active.
“Enough is enough, so we come to highlight our plights. One saving plan money. The company has some saving plan money that accumulated from 2018 when we close off and so far nothing about the saving plan money. Since 2018 over 600 people die, so that mean that saving plan money who left that, that gone through.
Our profit sharing 2009-2010 that was settled and up to now we cannot get that money. The Industrial Court highlight that and we won that case and up to now we cannot get that money yet and all these guys die, the 600 and change. Like they waiting for everybody else to die. We want that money now.”
When Petrotrin closed, he said, they received medical for two years, then another plan was implemented but it flopped.
Richards said another issue is that they never received their job description which affected their severance package.
“We were hourly/weekly and most of the wider Petrotrin were monthly paid. I made 18 years permanent. The man who made permanent 18 years in the wider Petrotrin got $526,000 for his severance. I get 276, because I am hourly/weekly. So we get blows in that,” he said.
Unsatisfied with the representation from the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, he said they want to receive their benefits before May. Another retiree Anthony Oudit suggested that if the authorities refuse to resume their medical plan, they should reimburse them for their contributions over the years they worked. While Heritage Petroleum could not be reached for a comment, the OWTU indicated that the matters are before the Industrial Court.