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Trinmar workers walk off job



By Upstream staff 

About 400 workers at Trinmar, a subsidiary of Trinidad & Tobago's state-owned oil company Petrotrin, stayed away from work today in at protest at what they claim are potentially dangerous working conditions.

"Over the past four months, there has been a series of accidents in Trinmar operations that we've been trying to manage," Ernesto Keiza, president of the Trinmar section of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union, said on local radio.

"We fear the next accident that will happen in Trinmar will be a fatality."

Another union official told Reuters offshore production would not be immediately affected because a skeleton crew continued to work.

Trinmar and Petrotrin officials were not immediately available for comment. Trinmar contributes around 33,000 barrels of oil per day to parent Petrotrin, which has overall production of 160,000 bpd.

Last month, eight contract workers were injured on a Trinmar-operated offshore platform while running to safety following the release of natural gas into the atmosphere.

"Workers have taken the action and we are calling on Petrotrin's management to give us their undivided attention in trying to settle and sort out and to prevent a fatal accident in Trinmar," Keiza said.

Petrotrin communications manager Arnold Corneal said company and union officials met today and would meet again on tomorrow to avert a possible shutdown.

"Production has not been affected and we hope as discussions continue the union would show good faith so that production will continue," Corneal said.


Monday, 12 February, 2007, 19:13 GMT  | last updated: Monday, 12 February, 2007, 23:27 GMT

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