A glimmer of hope for 644 former workers of ArcelorMittal as Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus agreed yesterday to take their suggestions to keep the plant running to the Prime Minister for consideration.
Following a four-hour closed-door meeting at the Steel Workers Union of T&T (SWUTT) headquarters in California yesterday, Baptiste-Primus says she will also share the union’s suggestions for the future viability of the plant with company officials at a meeting scheduled for today.
“The union has also shared with me suggestions regarding the future, from their perspective, the future viability of the plant,” Baptiste-Primus said.
“Information that I cannot share with you at this time, but information I have agreed to share with the Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert) and the Prime Minister (Dr Keith Rowley).
“There appears to be other variables involved in this situation that requires the Government to attend to with a sense of urgency,” she said.
On Saturday, SWUTT’s vice president, Ramkumar Narinesingh, told the T&T Guardian Mittal was offering its company in T&T to the Government for $1 but the Government would have to assume the company’s $1.3 billion debt.
Baptiste-Primus is expected to meet with the management of ArcelorMittal today at her office in Port-of-Spain at 1 pm.
Asked if the Government would be willing to purchase the steel manufacturing plant, Baptiste-Primus said, “I am not at liberty to engage in discussion about that issue. I would, however, direct you to the Minister of Finance. In that regard, he would much more information than I would have.”
Finance Minister Colm Imbert said on Saturday that he intended to speak on the issue later this week. Baptiste-Primus also outlined measures she is putting in place to help the workers deal with debt.
“The most critical point of that plan is a conversation with the financial institutions of the country to adopt a more human approach in addressing retrenched workers financial liability, in terms of loans and mortgages. Because workers paid their loans and mortgages religiously and, at the point they are “taken” low, one would expect that while the financial institutions have a responsibility to ensure that loans and mortgages must be serviced, there must be a humane approach.”
She said she had already met with president of the Credit Union League, Joseph Remy.
“On Friday, my team and I met with the Remy and we discussed various windows of opportunity can be made available to the workers. I am very pleased to say discussions were productive.”
Meetings with the Bankers Association and the T&T Mortgage Finance Company (TTMF) are also scheduled for later this week, Baptiste-Primus said. Speaking to members of the media after the meeting, president of SWUTT, Christopher Henry, urged workers not to give up.
“All I could tell the workers that discussion to get this plant running or convince this company through the Government to open the doors is one that will take quite awhile,” Henry said.
“This union will continue to fight to the end to ensure just due is paid to them or that the plant reopens.”
Henry said the workers, along with expatriate workers who were recently dismissed, have the capability of running the steel plant, if the Government decides to purchase it.
“We have the expertise right here. We have been telling the company that for months now. And, even if we have to get foreign labour, there are expats right here who are ready and waiting to come back to work. We have the expertise, we can do it.” He accused the ArcelorMittal’s management team of engineering its own end.
“When challenges came to our doorstep, they started making low-grade products, making it harder for us to compete in the global market. They took the orders we had and sent it to Costa Rica and to Brazil, reducing our production. Every decision that had a negative impact on workers and on the company was taken by the company.
“That is why we are saying it was an orchestrated plan by the company that led to this,” Henry added.
BACKGROUND
On Friday, ArcelorMittal informed its workers via letter that the company would be closing its operations in Trinidad and terminated their employment with immediate effect. During meetings with the union, company executives claimed the steel giant was bankrupt and operating while under a $1.3b debt.
Last Thursday, the union was successful in a court matter against the company for laying off workers in December and again in February. ArcelorMittal was ordered to pay the workers compensation. However, the company filed for insolvency on Friday and, if successful, any court orders for compensation will become null and void.
Any other matters before the court against the company will also be null and void.