DRY: Sharon Hosein, attendant at National Petroleum Service Station on
Pointe-a-Pierre Road, San Fernando, shows a sign indicating no gas yesterday at the station. —Photo: TREVOR WATSON
Panic buying fuels shortage
Industrial action at Petrotrin
By
Innis Francis
Story Created:
Sep 3, 2012 at 10:56 PM ECT
Story Updated:
Sep 3, 2012 at 10:56 PM ECT
PANIC buying left most service stations between Mayaro and San Fernando without fuel yesterday, with the shortage expected to continue into today.
The shortage is the result of industrial action by Petrotrin workers protesting unfilled vacancies, the lack of variable pay and the State's decision to grant a new contract to Bunkers Oil Trinidad and Tobago.
Ancel Roget, president general of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), called a press conference last evening to declare that all operations at Petrotrin's Pointe-a-Pierre refinery had been shut down.
He said that despite the claims of management, there was no contingency plan for the supply of fuel to service stations and uncertainty over when normal service would resume.
"Contrary to what has been put out by the management, as we speak, the entire Petrotrin operation is down. The producing fields, the marine operations and also the entire refinery...is down and therefore the refinery is non-functional," said Roget.
"This is contrary of what the management will have the general public believe, that they have some contingency plan to distribute gasoline to the motoring public, and that they will not see any measure of inconvenience. There can be nothing further from the truth."
Roget said the union will meet with workers today and a meeting has been scheduled with Minister of Energy Kevin Ramnarine at his Port of Spain office tomorrow.
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