The Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) has declared unwavering support for the Trinidad and Tobago government’s recent decision to eliminate the Safe to Work (STOW) certification program. The union characterized the Energy Chamber that administered the program as an elitist organization serving multinational corporations and privileged local contractors.
In a strongly-worded statement, OWTU officials asserted that the chamber operated as a self-serving entity that systematically excluded smaller contractors through restrictive pricing mechanisms for certification. The union claimed this created an uneven playing field in the nation’s energy sector over the past decade.
Union representatives praised Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s administration for responding to concerns raised by medium and small contractors alongside energy sector workers. They contrasted this approach with the previous government’s tenure, during which they allege the Energy Chamber received substantial financial and institutional benefits while experienced workers and smaller contractors were marginalized.
The OWTU highlighted workplace safety concerns, pointing to fatal incidents that occurred despite STOW certification requirements. The statement specifically referenced the Paria diving tragedy that claimed four lives and another fatality at Heritage offshore Trinmar where the victim’s body remains unrecovered.
The union concluded that authentic workplace safety cannot be achieved through checklist-based private certification schemes but requires comprehensive union representation and proper oversight mechanisms to protect workers in what they described as a highly dangerous and volatile industry.