Ten days after the president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), Ancel Roget, was offered a 50 per cent discount in exemplary damages if he apologised to the former manager of the National Petroleum Marketing Company Ltd (NP), Geeta Ragoonath, for defamation he has vowed that none would be forthcoming.
In an immediate show of solidarity, NP workers began offering financial contributions which they claimed would form part of the $80,000 payment to Ragoonath (now an HR Manager at Guardian Media Limited).
Standing outside NP around midday yesterday, Roget said he was deeply appreciative of the generous gesture which saw workers placing cash in white envelopes marked No Apology and slipping it inside a black box spray-painted with the words No Apology Geeta on it.
Surrounded by the workers, who were led by NP's branch president, Wayne Leacock, and the union’s education and research officer, Ozzi Warwick, Roget said:
"The workers have spoken and I have listened carefully. On the basis of a firm principle position, this union and this president would not issue any apology.
"As a matter of principle, whether the option is to save $80,000, $800,000 or $80 million, there will be absolutely no apology."
Although the matter is still before the court, Roget declared: "Let them take that and do what they want with it."
On May 6, Justice Vasheist Kokaram ruled that Roget had made allegations against Ragoonath which were “wholly unsupported, untrue and outlandish.”
He ordered Roget to pay Ragoonath $200,000 in general damages and $160,000 in exemplary damages for making statements which he knew were untrue.
Also, in an unprecedented move, Kokaram promised to reduce the exemplary damages by 50 per cent if Roget agreed to issue a public apology within 14 days.
Calling on Ragoonath to apologise to the 68 workers who had been retrenched and were later reinstated, Roget said they were the ones who deserved a public apology from the managers at the company.
Addressing members, Leacock said Roget should not apologise for speaking the truth in order to get a discount before the court.
He said the workers had resolved to contribute to the $80,000 payment as he highlighted the trauma, hurt and pain experienced by the fired workers who had been sent home for a little over two years before the Industrial Court in March ordered them to be reinstated.
Warwick called on the workers to stand together as he reminded them they were members of the working class who were responsible for ensuring that NP could operate and thus contribute to filling the country's coffers.
Ragoonath responds
In response yesterday, Ragoonath said: “I am disappointed but not surprised by Mr Roget's refusal to apologise to me as ordered by the court. The defamation case I won against him has nothing to do with the dismissal of workers by the management of NP.
“It concerned Mr Roget's false and malicious statements that I had written a letter to the President of the country, His Excellency Carmona, seeking to have the president of the Industrial Court removed from office because I was displeased with her judgment.
“This is a not-so-clever attempt by Mr Roget to link his illegal libel against me to a popular cause and whip up sympathy from unsuspecting workers.
“It is an attempt to divert attention away from Roget's illegal actions. I am not in the least bit surprised at his antics.
“I expected nothing less from a man whose intimidatory tactics are well known to the nation. It takes a big man to say "I'm sorry" and clearly, Mr Roget cannot measure up.
Ragoonath is currently the human resource manager at Guardian Media Ltd, which publishes this newspaper.