00:00We can say, any minute now, any minute now, everything could come to a screeching halt.
00:08And when it comes to a screeching halt, blame nobody else, not the workers, not the union
00:14like they want to blame.
00:15Blame yourself, blame the people who are in charge of the utility.
00:19A dismal warning, with a clear indication of what could happen if, President General
00:25of the OWTU says, the concerns of TNTEC employees are not quickly addressed by the state-owned
00:32utility.
00:37On Thursday morning, workers attached from TNTEC branches across both islands protested
00:43outside their respective offices before taking up work for the day.
00:48So in Tobago, in central and port of Spain, here in San Fernando and Nariba, throughout
00:53TNTEC this morning, we are having this action taking place, simultaneous.
00:58And I want to say that you would have seen the workers going back to work religiously
01:02at 7 o'clock.
01:03So it is not, at this time, it is not disrupting the operations.
01:08At this time.
01:09Roger says, apart from wage increases, workers have over time lodged multiple complaints
01:16and reports about serious manpower shortages, defective vehicles and faulty equipment, all
01:23issues that add to the threats of an already dangerous job.
01:27And the company, he adds, has failed to address them.
01:31These workers are subsidizing the TNTEC operation because as they pay more to come to work and
01:37so on and to provide that service, they are not getting, they haven't had an increase
01:42in salary from since the end of 2014 to now.
01:47And that is unfair.
01:48What is even more unfair is to tell workers that they belong to an essential service and
01:53that they are essential service workers and that they cannot withhold their labor, but
01:57at the same time, you do not provide a safe and conducive environment for which they can
02:02come to work.
02:03The Occupational Health and Safety Act gives the workers the right to remove themselves
02:08from dangerous environment, from threat to their own lives and limb and so on.
02:13Roger says each day these employees go to work, they risk their lives and there will
02:19come a day or night when the workers may decide they can't take the poor working conditions
02:25anymore.
02:26We are trying to walk the tightrope and have a good balance to have the public continue
02:31to enjoy a reliable supply of electricity because we know what is happening with the
02:36crime.
02:37We know what is happening with those areas that need electrification and so on.
02:42So we are trying to respond, but at the same time, how much more we are cooperating, but
02:47how much more, how much further can we go?
02:51And we are saying that the time will come when we can hold it no more.
02:56Cindy Raghubar, Tika Singh, TV6 News.
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