Members of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) held a brief protest on Wednesday morning outside the NiQuan Plant in Pointe-a-Pierre.
This comes one month after Massy employee Allanlane Ramkissoon died from burns during an industrial accident at NiQuan.
OWTU’s Pointe-a-Pierre branch president, Christopher Jackman, led a handful of members in the demonstration in front of the gates of NiQuan’s plant, as they pointed to the shortcomings on the day of the accident.
He also called for the immediate implementation of a policy to ensure that families of workers who lose their lives in industrial accidents receive swift justice.
Jackman said Ramkissoon, a 35-year-old pipefitter with Massy Energy Engineered Solutions Limited, caught on fire around 1.30 am, but there was no fire alarm.
He said the second issue was that the ambulance took more than two hours to respond, and it arrived and left without putting on the siren.
Jackman added that he has no confidence in the ongoing investigations as the workers, most of whom, were hired on contract, were afraid that they would be fired if they speak out.
He called on the government to put a policy in place to wrap up investigations swiftly and give the families of deceased workers the justice and compensation they deserve.
Jackman said they also intend to embark on a public campaign that the government does not care about workers and they will be asking people not to vote for the PNM-led government.
(photo courtesy GML)