Spanish energy firm Repsol E&P T&T Ltd is being taken to the Industrial Court for the wrongful dismissal of three employees, who were part of a group that was retrenched in January. Eleven others and the trio were retrenched after a decision by the parent company in October 2015 to lay off 1,500 workers, six per cent of its global workforce.
Repsol, on March 15, made partial payments on some of the workers’ severance packages. However, up to yesterday, the retrenched workers told the T&T Guardian that they were yet to receive the balance of their monies.
The workers expressed concern as to whether or not they would get the monies after all when they heard that Voluntary Separation letters were sent out on Monday to 190 of its employees.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, one retrenched worker, who took Repsol to court, said they received information that Repsol would most likely be moving to settle out of court.
“We are hearing that Repsol wants to set a date to meet but up to now no date was given yet and now we are seeing that VSEP letters are being offered,” the retrenched worker said.
Another retrenched worker, who is awaiting his outstanding money and who also wished not to be identified, questioned when workers would be paid by Repsol.
“They owe us these monies before the VSEP letters went out so by right we should be given the monies first and as a priority,” the retrenched worker said.
Subsequent to a meeting with the 11 other retrenched workers it was agreed that Repsol would pay six weeks a year that each worker was employed with the company.
Initially, the workers claimed that instead of three month’s salary a year in severance payments, which is the industry standard, the retrenched workers were offered two and three weeks salary a year. In its second step to cut jobs, Repsol, on Monday offered 190 employees VSEP packages.
Since the email was sent, employees are said to be contacting the union offices of the Bankers Insurance General Workers Union (BIGWU) for an immediate intervention on their behalf.
However, the T&T Guardian understands that the employees were being told that “it is too late.”
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, BIGWU’s president, Vincent Cabrera, said that the union could not get involved as most of the Repsol employees did not join the union and were not members.
He added: “We applied for recognition to the Recognition Board for Repsol workers and they divided into five bargaining units.
“We only represent a very small offshore bargaining unit and the VSEP offer they have made does not apply to them because they know better than that with us. Anytime they want to get at workers they would have to come directly to the union.
“This is what makes it difficult. We telling them (Repsol employees) to join the union long time and they don’t want to join. Now that the company has taken this action they want to ask the union, what we doing.
“What you mean by what we doing? We telling them to join all the time. How would we represent you all and you all are not even members?” he asked.
A unionised Repsol worker, who wished not to be identified, said that it was the belief that Repsol allegedly wanted to make a clean sweep of all who joined the union and those suspected to have joined the union.
“We have been trying to get them to join the union to safeguard themselves and their families but it is too late for them now. Too late for that protection,” the unionised worker said.
In the VSEP email, the company said from 2014 to present, it had embarked on many optimisation initiatives to make its business unit viable.
“In the third quarter of 2015, we communicated to our employees the problems our company has been facing due to the collapse in oil prices since July 2014. As we all know, we have tried to innovatively find ways to become more efficient.
“As we continue to review our organisational needs, Repsol would like to launch a Voluntary Separation Programme, commencing April 18, 2015 until 5 pm on April 25, 2016,” the email read.
It said the offer was applicable to permanent employees, with the exception of: employees belonging to the Bargaining Unit #3; individuals who have submitted formal notice of retirement or who have tendered their resignation before April 15, 2016; non-nationals on assignment in Trinidad and T&T nationals on foreign assignments.
The offer, according to the email, was intended to allow the employees interested in leaving the company this year a chance to express that interest. It added that there would be no deferred VSEP packages as it was a one-time offer.
The VSEP process was said to be confidential and applications will only be reviewed by those required to make staffing decisions.
However, employees were told while their preferences would be considered, there was no guarantee their VSEP request would be accepted as all decisions would be based on organisational needs.i
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In a January 21 statement to the media, Repsol said the dramatic collapse in oil prices started in July 2014 and it has been a tough time for the industry. Repsol says that the reality is that no oil and gas company is immune to low commodity prices. “Our main focus is for safe and efficient operations while constantly reviewing our organisation needs that is best for our company,” Repsol said, adding that market conditions had worsened.
Repsol's response to VSEP offers
Repsol's External Relations and Communications manager, Heidi Diquez, in response to the T&T Guardian's questions regarding the offer of VSEP to its employees, said it’s only to allow employees the opportunity to leave the company with a sum of money if they wished to.
She, however, assured it was not being targeted to any one person. "It is a general offer that was sent via an internal communication and not a letter that was previously reported in the news," she added.
Asked if some of the workers are being targeted because they joined the union, or suspected to have joined the union. Diquez replied: "As per Repsol’s human resources policy, every employee has the right to join a bargaining unit. No-one is being targeted in this VSEP initiative."
She, however, had no comment with respect to outstanding monies owed to retrenched workers and also, on the issue that three workers taking Repsol to court over wrongful dismissal, if the company was thinking of settling out of court or if it will go through all the way in court.