Accusing Trinidad Offshore Fabrication Company (Tofco) of firing locals and hiring foreigners, three shifts of unionised Tofco workers yesterday staged a protest, hampering construction of a major gas platform.
The workers who are clamouring against unfair work practices and unsafe conditions, were joined by residents of La Brea who have been picketing job sites over the past few months looking for work.
From around 5 am, the protesters blocked access to Tofco’s gates in La Brea as they called on Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus to intervene.
Tofco, an international provider of offshore fabrication and construction services, is building the topsides of bpTT Juniper platform at La Brea, near the sea side. It is one of the largest ever offshore platforms built in T&T and employs more than 500 workers on three shifts. The US$2.1 billion platform is first offshore platform ever designed and constructed with significant local input.
Representative of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, Clyde Charles, who works as a welder said since hard times hit the country, Tofco has been employing non-unionised Mexicans to work on the platform.
“They are taking jobs that residents of La Brea are quite capable to do. Tofco does not want unionised workers so anybody who joins the union is sure to lose their job,” Charles said. He added that the OWTU had applied to the Recognition and Certification Board to legally represent Tofco workers and this was not supported by management.
“Tofco is aware of this and they are using all kinds of strategies to get rid of unionised workers. Whenever they lay off a unionised worker, they bring in a non-unionised worker. They have hired many Mexican labourers and welders,” Charles said. He also complained that some workers have been falling ill because of continued exposure to paint fumes, sandblasting dust and welding fumes.
“The last time the Occupational Safety and Health Authority did a thorough inspection of Tofco, they advised that all workers who are exposed to the fumes should be given a complete health test but this was never done,” Charles said.
He also said there was no forum to speak to management.
Meanwhile a representative from La Brea said unemployment figures were over 80 per cent in La Brea. “People here are skilled and qualified to work but they are not offering us any work,” a resident said.
The workers and residents called on Baptiste-Primus to meet with them to discuss unfair work practices.
General manager of Tofco, Javed Mohammed, denied yesterday that the platform construction was down saying more than 150 workers were still working on the project. He dismissed claims that workers were laid off but said the company was planning cutbacks in the future as there was now a surplus of labour. Mohammed declined to give a cost of the project or to confirm whether foreigners were being hired to complete the plant.
“We are looking to do cutbacks. I am not going to go into further details but it is not true that we have laid off people. The site remains open for work and we are having dialogue,” Mohammed said.
Several attempts were made to contact Baptiste-Primus on her cellular phone but she did not answer.
BPTT—Platform jacket being built in Texas
In July, bpTT said it had accepted a proposal from TOFCO to relocate fabrication of the Juniper platform’s jacket and piles from TOFCO’s yard in La Brea to a fabrication yard in Texas, United States. Only fabrication of the Juniper topsides have been continued at La Brea.
TOFCO was awarded the contract for the fabrication of the Juniper jacket, topsides and piles in September 2014. The proposal to relocate some of the fabrication work was presented by TOFCO in order to preserve the project schedule. Topsides, currently being fabricated at La Brea are expected to be completed by December.
“Keeping the project on schedule and maintaining the commitment to first gas in 2017 is a key priority for bpTT and other stakeholders involved in the project,” the company said on its website.
“Gas from the Juniper facility is important to satisfy gas contract obligations in 2017 and beyond, and a delay in the project could have negative effects on gas consumers and government revenues,” bpTT stated. The Juniper facility will be a Normally Unmanned Installation (NUI) and will take gas from the Corallita and Lantana fields located 50 miles off the south east coast of Trinidad in water-depth of approximately 360 feet.