Trinidad & Tobago
Water, water everywhere… again
Port-of-Spain – Seventy-six year old Bissoondaye Nanan stood helpless in the rising flood waters for 15 hours crying out for help before she was rescued by passing workers on an inflatable raft.
The distress endured by Nanan last week was similar to what was experienced by hundreds more in south Trinidad who were stranded in their homes due to rising flood waters in the Oropouche Basin. What made Nanan’s dire situation worse was that her cries for help went unheeded by the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard. Nanan’s house is located in Suchit Trace, Penal.
The inundation of Nanan’s household was total, leaving no elevated or dry locations – it meant the frail, ailing woman had to stand helplessly in the rising waters in her living room for over 15 hours until help arrived. How she was finally rescued was through the efforts of her son, Ishwar Gopaul, who flagged down a media crew covering the devastation from a dump truck. Nanan was rescued by the crew from the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation who deployed an inflatable raft.
Gopaul was worried for his mother when he pleaded to the media personnel and the work crew: “She is in the water for too long. She is sick and old. She needs help. Please help her out,” he said.
Last week the four major rivers in the Oropouche Basin overflowed, inundating and shutting down the area. All schools in the region were closed after flood waters rose following non-stop rainfall. The areas hit by rising water included Boodoo Trace, Ragbir Trace, Gopie Trace, Tulsa Trace, Clarke Road, Rochard Road, Penal Rock Road, Barrackpore Trace, and Rochard Douglas Road. These areas were inundated and made inaccessible to vehicular traffic. Emergency teams had difficulty reaching the hard-hit areas.
At Gopie Trace, Anna Bheemul said an old man suffered a stroke and the ambulance could not get him out.
“We had to load him on top of a tractor and take him to the hospital,” she said.
Along Satnarine Trace and Rochard Road, residents could be seen stranded in their houses, standing knee-deep in the muddy flood waters.
“Where is the army? People here need help,” a man shouted from a porch.
A family climbed the roof of their patio at Pluck Road, Woodland.
The floods from the higher regions of Barrackpore and Debe inundated the Woodland region, entering homes and businesses. Two cars were almost totally submerged, while driverless vehicles remained abandoned at the side of San Francique Road and La Fortune in Woodland.
(Picture courtesy Daily Express)
One resident was seen wading through waist height water leading a cow. In the distance, displaced ducks were swimming in a lagoon.
The crisis impacted some residents who could not access fresh drinking water or food. At Gopie Trace, a young man, Donny Maharaj, along with colleagues, piloted two rafts to take refreshments to suffering villagers.
“Nobody could go to work or school today, so we are doing what we can to help people get out, and to bring back food and drinks for them,” Maharaj said.
Villagers worked together, with volunteers helping out with free transportation, Maharaj noted. He added this was unlike other areas that had been hit by floods, and where unscrupulous wrecker operators were charging between (TT) $300 to $900 to tow stranded vehicles out of the flood waters.
By midday last Thursday, some of the areas including Tenet Trace, Pluck Road, Birbal Trace, Dwarpaul Trace, Tulsa Trace and Raju Trace, had started to receive meals from the Siparia Regional Corporation. Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal was also assisting with the distribution of food.
Councillor for Siparia West/Fyzabad Doodnath Mayrhoo noted many residents had no dry beds.
Noting this year’s floods were similar to what occurred last November, Mayrhoo blamed the situation on poor drainage and non-functioning floodgates.
“The sluice gates at Woodland are malfunctioning. There are seven gates in St John and four of them are not working. This is why we have a backup of the floods. I want the government to initiate action so that we can bring immediate relief and compensation for these affected residents,” Mayrhoo said.
Earlier that day, Penal/Debe Regional Corporation chairman Dr Allen Sammy said the inflatable rafts being used were donated by the US Embassy. It came to a point where there were not enough rafts to rescue the stranded, he said.
Like Maharaj, Sammy also noted the proliferation of wrecker operators who were profiting from people’s distress by gouging stranded motorists with charges of up to $900 to tow vehicles to safety from the rising waters. He also called for the Ministry of Works and Agriculture to do the comprehensive clearing of the water courses.
Last week the Ministry of Local Government said over 230 households had been affected by flooding in Penal/Debe, with 20 persons rescued.
The government set up the Quinam/Penal Government Primary School as a shelter, housing six families that had sought lodging. In Siparia the inundated areas were Woodland, San Francique, Fyzabad, Silver Stream, and South Oropouche. A landslide was also reported at Queen Street, Siparia.
North eastern Trinidad was also adversely hit in the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation region, including El Carmen, Madras Road, and Piarco By-Pass Road, where a total of 309 households were impacted by flood waters.
The crisis impacted some residents who could not access fresh drinking water or food. At Gopie Trace, a young man, Donny Maharaj, along with colleagues, piloted two rafts to take refreshments to suffering villagers.
“Nobody could go to work or school today, so we are doing what we can to help people get out, and to bring back food and drinks for them,” Maharaj said.
Villagers worked together, with volunteers helping out with free transportation, Maharaj noted. He added this was unlike other areas that had been hit by floods, and where unscrupulous wrecker operators were charging between (TT) $300 to $900 to tow stranded vehicles out of the flood waters.
By midday last Thursday, some of the areas including Tenet Trace, Pluck Road, Birbal Trace, Dwarpaul Trace, Tulsa Trace and Raju Trace, had started to receive meals from the Siparia Regional Corporation. Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal was also assisting with the distribution of food.
Councillor for Siparia West/Fyzabad Doodnath Mayrhoo noted many residents had no dry beds.
Noting this year’s floods were similar to what occurred last November, Mayrhoo blamed the situation on poor drainage and non-functioning floodgates.
“The sluice gates at Woodland are malfunctioning. There are seven gates in St John and four of them are not working. This is why we have a backup of the floods. I want the government to initiate action so that we can bring immediate relief and compensation for these affected residents,” Mayrhoo said.
Earlier that day, Penal/Debe Regional Corporation chairman Dr Allen Sammy said the inflatable rafts being used were donated by the US Embassy. It came to a point where there were not enough rafts to rescue the stranded, he said.
Like Maharaj, Sammy also noted the proliferation of wrecker operators who were profiting from people’s distress by gouging stranded motorists with charges of up to $900 to tow vehicles to safety from the rising waters. He also called for the Ministry of Works and Agriculture to do the comprehensive clearing of the water courses.
Last week the Ministry of Local Government said over 230 households had been affected by flooding in Penal/Debe, with 20 persons rescued.
The government set up the Quinam/Penal Government Primary School as a shelter, housing six families that had sought lodging. In Siparia the inundated areas were Woodland, San Francique, Fyzabad, Silver Stream, and South Oropouche. A landslide was also reported at Queen Street, Siparia.
North eastern Trinidad was also adversely hit in the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation region, including El Carmen, Madras Road, and Piarco By-Pass Road, where a total of 309 households were impacted by flood waters.
Port-of-Spain – Roadside vendors were the target of three ‘bread bandits’ last week, and while police eventually bagged the thieves and took them into custody, the officers were unable to provide evidence from the crimes following the consumption of two stolen loaves of sweetbread by the felons.
According to police reports, a 19-year-old from Gregg Street, Balmain, Couva confessed to being part of a crew robbing roadside vendors selling bread and pastries. The teen said he robbed three people following a plan that was cooked up by a 26-year-old from the same area who drove him and a 30-year-old woman around to commit the robberies.
Asked what had happened to the sweet bread, valued at (TT) $12, the only perishable item stolen, the teen said the loaves had been eaten. He also admitted to using a firearm at one of the three robberies, brandishing the weapon during the sweetbread heist.
According to police reports, last Wednesday the bread-purloining trio stole a total of $1,373 from their victims. The bandits drove around in a bronze-coloured Nissan Sylphy during the crime spree, first robbing a woman at the Preysal Flyover of $173.
With the appetite now opened for more “dough”, the thieves followed up this robbery with another at the St Mary's Junction, Freeport a few hours later, where another vendor was relieved of $400. The final robbery took place less than an hour later at Bhagna Trace in Chase Village, where $800 along with the sweetbread were stolen. The sweetbreads were consumed shortly after.
Officers from the Freeport Police Station were on patrol when informed of the crime spree. The officers traveled to Carlsen Field shortly after, where the streets were cordoned off and a 26-year-old man and the woman apprehended in the Nissan. Thirty minutes later the officers found the teen hiding in bushes nearby. Police said no guns were recovered.
The trio have since been dubbed the “bread bandits”, and following an identification parade, could face possible charges of robbery, robbery with aggravation, and assault.
According to police reports, a 19-year-old from Gregg Street, Balmain, Couva confessed to being part of a crew robbing roadside vendors selling bread and pastries. The teen said he robbed three people following a plan that was cooked up by a 26-year-old from the same area who drove him and a 30-year-old woman around to commit the robberies.
Asked what had happened to the sweet bread, valued at (TT) $12, the only perishable item stolen, the teen said the loaves had been eaten. He also admitted to using a firearm at one of the three robberies, brandishing the weapon during the sweetbread heist.
According to police reports, last Wednesday the bread-purloining trio stole a total of $1,373 from their victims. The bandits drove around in a bronze-coloured Nissan Sylphy during the crime spree, first robbing a woman at the Preysal Flyover of $173.
With the appetite now opened for more “dough”, the thieves followed up this robbery with another at the St Mary's Junction, Freeport a few hours later, where another vendor was relieved of $400. The final robbery took place less than an hour later at Bhagna Trace in Chase Village, where $800 along with the sweetbread were stolen. The sweetbreads were consumed shortly after.
Officers from the Freeport Police Station were on patrol when informed of the crime spree. The officers traveled to Carlsen Field shortly after, where the streets were cordoned off and a 26-year-old man and the woman apprehended in the Nissan. Thirty minutes later the officers found the teen hiding in bushes nearby. Police said no guns were recovered.
The trio have since been dubbed the “bread bandits”, and following an identification parade, could face possible charges of robbery, robbery with aggravation, and assault.
Port-of-Spain – TSTT started retrenching workers last week, with 503 senior and junior staff receiving redundancy letters, the company indicating it was transforming “to survive”.
According to TSTT, it was “on a critical phase in its organisational transformation”. It added: “This phase involves 503 junior and senior staff employees receiving retrenchment notices along with payment in lieu of the 45 days’ notice. The next phase will involve the rationalisation of non-unionised employees, including the executive level.”
Among the workers getting retrenchment letters was Clyde Elder, head of the company's majority labour union, the Communications Workers' Union.
Justifying the decision, TSTT’s CEO Ronald Walcott said in the release that the company recorded an operating loss of (TT) $32.5 million in the previous financial year, and “the contributing factors that led to that performance continued in the six months of the current financial year to September 2018”, when the company recorded a loss of $478.8 million.
TSTT said it “has been plagued with a perennial problem of high employee costs”.
It added: “Contrary to the assertions being bandied about in the public domain, of the $768 million annual wage bill, emoluments to junior and senior staff comprise 82.3 percent. The company is also carrying a debt burden of $1.8 billion of which 40 percent (or about $700 million) pertains to the settlement of back pay to junior and senior staff.”
In addition, TSTT’s employee cost is greater than 30 percent of its revenue; the industry benchmark being 15 percent. The revenue per employee is (US) $177,000 compared to the industry benchmark of (US) $400,000.”
Meanwhile, with that 503 workers terminated, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh said the jobs of workers from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and the Water and Sewage Authority may soon be on the chopping block.
Indarsingh said this latest “arbitrary and rash dismissal” of 503 employees was another example of the brutality being unleased on workers by the Keith Rowley government over the past three years.
He noted over 50,000 workers have lost their jobs under the Rowley regime, including the over 3,000 permanent Petrotrin employees, who will be sent home on November 30.
Indarsingh said what is interesting is that the termination exercise at the telecommunications company took place mere months after $250 million was spent on the acquisition of Massy Communications, for which there was no accountability and transparency.
“The unrelenting assault on workers raises concerns about whether the Rowley regime is implementing a hidden austerity agenda of the International Monetary Fund,” Indarsingh said.
According to TSTT, it was “on a critical phase in its organisational transformation”. It added: “This phase involves 503 junior and senior staff employees receiving retrenchment notices along with payment in lieu of the 45 days’ notice. The next phase will involve the rationalisation of non-unionised employees, including the executive level.”
Among the workers getting retrenchment letters was Clyde Elder, head of the company's majority labour union, the Communications Workers' Union.
Justifying the decision, TSTT’s CEO Ronald Walcott said in the release that the company recorded an operating loss of (TT) $32.5 million in the previous financial year, and “the contributing factors that led to that performance continued in the six months of the current financial year to September 2018”, when the company recorded a loss of $478.8 million.
TSTT said it “has been plagued with a perennial problem of high employee costs”.
It added: “Contrary to the assertions being bandied about in the public domain, of the $768 million annual wage bill, emoluments to junior and senior staff comprise 82.3 percent. The company is also carrying a debt burden of $1.8 billion of which 40 percent (or about $700 million) pertains to the settlement of back pay to junior and senior staff.”
In addition, TSTT’s employee cost is greater than 30 percent of its revenue; the industry benchmark being 15 percent. The revenue per employee is (US) $177,000 compared to the industry benchmark of (US) $400,000.”
Meanwhile, with that 503 workers terminated, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh said the jobs of workers from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and the Water and Sewage Authority may soon be on the chopping block.
Indarsingh said this latest “arbitrary and rash dismissal” of 503 employees was another example of the brutality being unleased on workers by the Keith Rowley government over the past three years.
He noted over 50,000 workers have lost their jobs under the Rowley regime, including the over 3,000 permanent Petrotrin employees, who will be sent home on November 30.
Indarsingh said what is interesting is that the termination exercise at the telecommunications company took place mere months after $250 million was spent on the acquisition of Massy Communications, for which there was no accountability and transparency.
“The unrelenting assault on workers raises concerns about whether the Rowley regime is implementing a hidden austerity agenda of the International Monetary Fund,” Indarsingh said.
Port-of-Spain – UNC Chief Whip David Lee last week called on the government to “hold its hand” and “rethink” the Petrotrin restructuring plan, which involves the retrenchment of over 5,000 workers come November 30.
Lee said under a UNC administration, the Petrotrin refinery would never have been shut down. A UNC government would have “worked with the employees to make Petrotrin viable”, he said.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on the debate on the Heritage Petroleum, Paria Fuel Trading and Guaracara Refining Vesting bill, Lee also asked whether there will now be four CEOs “like Mike Wylie, making over (TT) $245,000 a month to head each for the companies created out of Petrotrin”.
Stating that each of the four companies (Heritage Petroleum, Paria Fuel Trading and Guaracara Refining and Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited) would need a CEO, Lee asked: “So is there Wylie No 2 for the Paria Fuel Company, and Wylie No 3 for the Guaracara? Are more expats coming?” he asked.
He added: “Four CEOs, four sets of administration, four sets of management, four sets of employees? What is the price to the taxpayers?” he asked. He said there were many Trinbagonians who are part of the international energy sector who the government could have reached out to, as managers for these companies.
“Give the local people a chance. That is true patriotism,” he said.
Lee added the employment process for hiring people for the new companies was shrouded in secrecy. Noting that Wylie, CEO of Heritage Petroleum, was employed in August, even though the company was formed in October, Lee said one did not know which company initially employed Wylie.
He said his head hurt over this whole situation because on a daily basis, constituents were coming to his office “seeking solace”. The Prime Minister talks about the decision to shut down the refinery being a brave and courageous act, but the country will never forgive him, Lee said.
Lee said under a UNC administration, the Petrotrin refinery would never have been shut down. A UNC government would have “worked with the employees to make Petrotrin viable”, he said.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on the debate on the Heritage Petroleum, Paria Fuel Trading and Guaracara Refining Vesting bill, Lee also asked whether there will now be four CEOs “like Mike Wylie, making over (TT) $245,000 a month to head each for the companies created out of Petrotrin”.
Stating that each of the four companies (Heritage Petroleum, Paria Fuel Trading and Guaracara Refining and Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited) would need a CEO, Lee asked: “So is there Wylie No 2 for the Paria Fuel Company, and Wylie No 3 for the Guaracara? Are more expats coming?” he asked.
He added: “Four CEOs, four sets of administration, four sets of management, four sets of employees? What is the price to the taxpayers?” he asked. He said there were many Trinbagonians who are part of the international energy sector who the government could have reached out to, as managers for these companies.
“Give the local people a chance. That is true patriotism,” he said.
Lee added the employment process for hiring people for the new companies was shrouded in secrecy. Noting that Wylie, CEO of Heritage Petroleum, was employed in August, even though the company was formed in October, Lee said one did not know which company initially employed Wylie.
He said his head hurt over this whole situation because on a daily basis, constituents were coming to his office “seeking solace”. The Prime Minister talks about the decision to shut down the refinery being a brave and courageous act, but the country will never forgive him, Lee said.
Port-of-Spain – An alleged fuel scam revealed through an internal Petrotrin audit report last week has prompted the Energy Chamber to call for an investigation.
In a statement, the Chamber condemned “all fraudulent practices that have taken place at Petrotrin”, and called for “quick and thorough investigations into allegations of fraud and corruption at the company and urges the involvement of the police”. It added, “If found guilty, individuals and contractors that have defrauded the company must be held accountable and prosecuted.”
According to sources at Petrotrin, the State-owned company’s estate police conducted follow-up enquiries based on the report of the internal auditors. The report was then reviewed by the audit committee of the Petrotrin board, with the file forwarded to the DPP for determination on whether any criminal charges would be laid.
What the internal Petrotrin audit uncovered was an alleged fuel-smuggling scheme, which it said allowed transport contractor CR Boodoosingh and Sons Ltd to take away hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel undetected for almost 17 years.
The audit report, which is dated July 2018, stated that the La Romaine-based company allegedly used modified Road Tanker Wagons with hidden compartments to smuggle out extra fuel.
Pictures contained in the report show the RTW with a registered fuel storage capacity for four tanks; however, an inspection by Petrotrin officials discovered a fifth concealed compartment at the back of the wagon, which many would have assumed was unusable space.
The Petrotrin audit report contended that this 575 US gallons of space was secretly filled with fuel each time the CRB wagon was loaded at the unmetered “Old Bay” at the refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre.
The audit anticipated if this fraud was perpetuated over the entire duration of CRB’s contractual 17-year relationship with Petrotrin, the estimated losses to Petrotrin were about (TT) $58 million – almost twice the $27.9 million value of all the 40 contracts CRB received from Petrotrin since 1999.
Contacted about the allegations last week by the media, CRB’s owner, Cecil Boodoosingh would only say the company was weighing its legal options and talking with lawyers.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of International Marine Industrial Inspection Ltd Ashley Menzies last week refuted claims by Petrotrin that his company was one of the third parties that failed to detect a hidden compartment in the RTWs used by CRB.
Petrotrin’s audit report claimed that IMIIL – one of the third party inspectors – failed to catch the problem of a hidden fifth compartment.
The report had stated: “International Marine Industrial Inspection Ltd failed to identify the extra tank capacity. IMIIL was required to perform detailed checks, including ultrasonic inspection of welds on the tank wagon, which should have detected the modifications of a fifth hidden compartment, manway access hidden under grating, an air system located under a bolted plate between the cab and the tank and hose connection to the bottom of the tanker connecting the hidden compartment and to the adjacent third compartment.”
However, Menzies refuted this claim, saying his company was required to check only the outside.
“We are contracted by RTW clients to check the outer shell of the tank. We only do internal compartments if required by the client,” he said.
Said Menzies: “Petrotrin never required an internal inspection of the tanker. What we do is make sure the tanker does not leak and so we do an ultrasonic on it.”
The ultrasonic process is done by “putting a probe to determine the thickness of the tanker”, he said. Such a test could never detect a hidden compartment, he noted.
“Only when a client does modification or repairs to the internal structure that we know about, do we go into the tank and conduct tests using non-destructive methods,” Menzies said.
He said even then, it was not guaranteed to find a hidden compartment.
In a statement, the Chamber condemned “all fraudulent practices that have taken place at Petrotrin”, and called for “quick and thorough investigations into allegations of fraud and corruption at the company and urges the involvement of the police”. It added, “If found guilty, individuals and contractors that have defrauded the company must be held accountable and prosecuted.”
According to sources at Petrotrin, the State-owned company’s estate police conducted follow-up enquiries based on the report of the internal auditors. The report was then reviewed by the audit committee of the Petrotrin board, with the file forwarded to the DPP for determination on whether any criminal charges would be laid.
What the internal Petrotrin audit uncovered was an alleged fuel-smuggling scheme, which it said allowed transport contractor CR Boodoosingh and Sons Ltd to take away hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel undetected for almost 17 years.
The audit report, which is dated July 2018, stated that the La Romaine-based company allegedly used modified Road Tanker Wagons with hidden compartments to smuggle out extra fuel.
Pictures contained in the report show the RTW with a registered fuel storage capacity for four tanks; however, an inspection by Petrotrin officials discovered a fifth concealed compartment at the back of the wagon, which many would have assumed was unusable space.
The Petrotrin audit report contended that this 575 US gallons of space was secretly filled with fuel each time the CRB wagon was loaded at the unmetered “Old Bay” at the refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre.
The audit anticipated if this fraud was perpetuated over the entire duration of CRB’s contractual 17-year relationship with Petrotrin, the estimated losses to Petrotrin were about (TT) $58 million – almost twice the $27.9 million value of all the 40 contracts CRB received from Petrotrin since 1999.
Contacted about the allegations last week by the media, CRB’s owner, Cecil Boodoosingh would only say the company was weighing its legal options and talking with lawyers.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of International Marine Industrial Inspection Ltd Ashley Menzies last week refuted claims by Petrotrin that his company was one of the third parties that failed to detect a hidden compartment in the RTWs used by CRB.
Petrotrin’s audit report claimed that IMIIL – one of the third party inspectors – failed to catch the problem of a hidden fifth compartment.
The report had stated: “International Marine Industrial Inspection Ltd failed to identify the extra tank capacity. IMIIL was required to perform detailed checks, including ultrasonic inspection of welds on the tank wagon, which should have detected the modifications of a fifth hidden compartment, manway access hidden under grating, an air system located under a bolted plate between the cab and the tank and hose connection to the bottom of the tanker connecting the hidden compartment and to the adjacent third compartment.”
However, Menzies refuted this claim, saying his company was required to check only the outside.
“We are contracted by RTW clients to check the outer shell of the tank. We only do internal compartments if required by the client,” he said.
Said Menzies: “Petrotrin never required an internal inspection of the tanker. What we do is make sure the tanker does not leak and so we do an ultrasonic on it.”
The ultrasonic process is done by “putting a probe to determine the thickness of the tanker”, he said. Such a test could never detect a hidden compartment, he noted.
“Only when a client does modification or repairs to the internal structure that we know about, do we go into the tank and conduct tests using non-destructive methods,” Menzies said.
He said even then, it was not guaranteed to find a hidden compartment.
Port-of-Spain – Petrotrin workers will receive a major tax break with the tax man not touching the first (TT) $500,000 of their severance payments.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he instructed the Minister of Finance to take steps to ensure when Petrotrin workers receive their severance benefits, the Minister of Finance “will adjust the tax arrangements so that the untaxed portion of that money is raised from $300,000 to $500,000”, costing the country an additional $150 million. He said the entire separation package would cost $2.7 billion.
Accusing the Opposition of stoking hatred and resentment towards his government, Rowley said the Opposition was “talking as though we going and put people in the street and push them over a cliff”.
He added: “Who is going to get this $2.7 billion? Petrotrin workers!”
Rowley said the government had gone further and promised “in the not too distant future” to make employees shareholders of the very companies in which they would be working.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert in winding up the debate said the average severance payout at Petrotrin is “in excess of $500,000 per employee”, adding, “there are a number of persons who are getting a payout in excess of $2 million”. He added: “At least half of the employees were receiving over $500,000 each.”
Imbert said, contrary to claims made by the Opposition, the Petrotrin refinery lost $11.4 billion between 2012 and 2017 and that the losses (between 2012 and 2015) were “hidden' by the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government”.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he instructed the Minister of Finance to take steps to ensure when Petrotrin workers receive their severance benefits, the Minister of Finance “will adjust the tax arrangements so that the untaxed portion of that money is raised from $300,000 to $500,000”, costing the country an additional $150 million. He said the entire separation package would cost $2.7 billion.
Accusing the Opposition of stoking hatred and resentment towards his government, Rowley said the Opposition was “talking as though we going and put people in the street and push them over a cliff”.
He added: “Who is going to get this $2.7 billion? Petrotrin workers!”
Rowley said the government had gone further and promised “in the not too distant future” to make employees shareholders of the very companies in which they would be working.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert in winding up the debate said the average severance payout at Petrotrin is “in excess of $500,000 per employee”, adding, “there are a number of persons who are getting a payout in excess of $2 million”. He added: “At least half of the employees were receiving over $500,000 each.”
Imbert said, contrary to claims made by the Opposition, the Petrotrin refinery lost $11.4 billion between 2012 and 2017 and that the losses (between 2012 and 2015) were “hidden' by the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government”.
