PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – About 150 workers at PowerGen, the largest independent power producer in Trinidad and Tobago, are expected to receive outstanding wage payments by December 15, following a TT66.1million(US9.8 million) settlement between the company and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), ending nine and a half years of unresolved negotiations.
Scores of PowerGen workers will take home additional pay in time for Christmas. (Photo: PowerGen website)Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath announced the agreement in Parliament late Friday, saying it covers the 2016–2017 and 2018–2020 bargaining periods and provides for a cumulative wage increase of nine per cent over five years.
The increases are structured at 0.5 per cent, three per cent, one per cent, 1.5 per cent and three per cent, with the approximately 150 eligible workers scheduled to receive their outstanding payments before Christmas.
Padarath said the agreement followed intensive discussions between PowerGen and the OWTU, bringing an end to negotiations that remained unresolved under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.
He said the Government had committed to addressing outstanding industrial matters during its tenure, rather than promising that all disputes would be settled immediately upon taking office.
“Mr Speaker, PowerGen and the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) have reached a historic 66.1 million wage settlement, bringing closure to nine and a half years of outstanding wage negotiations,” he told Parliament.
The minister also pointed to the potential for further progress at the company, saying the agreement could create momentum for resolving outstanding compensation matters involving another 87 employees.
Those matters concern 26 employees represented by the Senior Staff Association and 61 professional staff members.
Padarath welcomed the fact that the dispute had been resolved through direct negotiations rather than a ruling by the Industrial Court.
He described the agreement as a demonstration of the value of dialogue between employers and trade unions, and commended PowerGen management, staff and OWTU representatives for negotiating in good faith.
PowerGen, which was established in 1994 after the partial divestment of the generation assets of the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission, supplies bulk electricity to the national grid, operating major power plants including facilities at Point Lisas and Penal.
Minister Padarath also recalled that more than 136 wage negotiations were settled between 2010 and 2015 under the previous People’s Partnership administration, saying the record demonstrated its commitment to addressing public-sector industrial matters.
