Stress, anguish and pain.
Those are some of the sentiments expressed by ex-ArcelorMittal workers in the past four weeks. Tomorrow marks one month since the steel company issued termination letters to 644 workers indicating that it was shutting down its operations.
With pain-filled eyes and high blood pressure, 31-year-old Neil Pierre expressed despair and frustration as he held tightly to one side of a banner during a demonstration by the Steel Workers Union of T&T (SWUTT) on Friday morning.
It was barely close to 8 am and scores of jobless men and women had finished encircling the Point Lisas roundabout chanting, singing and holding placards to show their dissatisfaction with the treatment of their pension and severance benefits.
They started to gather from as early as 4.30 am at the union’s office.
Pierre was a dispatcher for eight years, five permanent and three on contract.
“I have not been able to get employment as yet. Everything is down the drain for me,” he said.
Although he is unmarried and has no children, Pierre said he had three dependents. He also has a mortgage.
He’s been sending out his resumé and while he took the advice of the Minister of Labour Jennifer Baptiste-Primus to attend the job fair in Couva last week, he said there was “nothing feasible as yet.”
Pierre was sent home since December. He has dipped into his savings, which, after three months, were depleting.
“There is no assistance and it’s just a general sense of dismay. When I checked my blood pressure it was 141/86 and that is what I have been dealing with...and lots of sleepless nights. I am only 31.”
Rennie Ali was angry. His voice rose as he spoke about his 27 years as a melter at the company. For the last 18 years, he was on contract.
“I saved over the years so now I am digging deep into my savings to pay my bills. Right now my co-workers are ‘pulling bull’ while some are working in the supermarket,” he said.