Lennox Petroleum to Take Legal Action Against OWTU

Instant Max AI

(Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Yvonne Webb, 31.Aug.2018) — Lennox Petroleum Services Ltd has initiated legal action against members of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), one day after they protested inside the company’s Princess Margaret Street, San Fernando office. CEO Wayne Persad has also applied for an injunction to prevent the union from trespassing on his premises or continuing “their illegal actions.”

In a statement, Persad claimed that on Wednesday, about 40 members of the OWTU forcibly entered the compound, assaulted a security officer and then searched the compound. He said they shouted his name and asked him to come out.

Persad said, consistent with their company’s emergency policies and procedures, the police was notified of the “intrusion” and responded within minutes of the report being made.

OWTU’s chief labour relations officer Lyndon Mendoza, who led the demonstration, questioned the large complement of heavily-armed officers who arrived in about six or seven marked police vehicles, when all the workers did was hold hands, pray and sing union songs. He said they went to Lennox Petroleum, an off-shore company, to deliver a letter on behalf of workers who were owed retroactive payment dating back some three years ago. He said collective bargaining arrangements were signed to this effect. He said the union was there to show solidarity with the workers.

In his statement, Persad said the acts committed were extremely unwarranted and were designed to intimidate management and staff.

He explained that by letter, dated August 27, the company was informed by the OWTU that the dispute which gave rise to the protest was reported to the Ministry of Labour. Given that the company was invited by the ministry to meet with the union on September 11, Persad said Wednesday’s action showed disrespect to the Industrial Relations Act and its process. He said the protest action was a clear attempt to circumvent the procedures stipulated under the act.

“At present, our company is in a transitional period as our majority shareholder/director/founder, Pamela Persad passed away on August 18. The timing of the protest less than a week after the burial of Mrs Persad was extremely insensitive.”

Persad also denied that it employs over 250 workers or that any of their workers are members of the OWTU. He said none of the protestors were employees of his company, neither were they authorised to be on the compound.

***

Previous post ExxonMobil Adds Ninth Discovery Offshore Guyana
Next post Petrotrin Severance to Cost at Least $1 Bln

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.