By Chantalé Fletcher
PRESIDENT of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget is calling for top officials at Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd to be removed to ensure that the investigation into the diving accident on February 25 was fair.
These include Paria’s Chairman, Newman George, general manager Mushtaq Mohammed, terminal manager Collin Piper and maintenance manager Michael Lee.
On Friday at a press conference, Roget said, “All we are saying was to not impede the progress of the investigation, while the investigation is being conducted because they have a very high and powerful influence that will permeate throughout the company and investigation.
“Having it go one way or another and having them on the job while that happens will give the perception that the investigation was being tainted.”
Roget added that in international investigations, it was the norm to ask these people at that level to step aside.
He also called on the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young to inject some fairness to the approach of the investigation.
“If you have a bad start in this investigation, you will have a bad ending in the investigation,” the union leader said.
Roget added that it was “madness” for Young to state that top officials would remain in position for the investigation.
He said the contractor and workers were not policymakers nor implementers of the policy.
Roget said that Paria Fuel sat at the top and was responsible for the implementation of the policies and procedures by all members of the establishment.
He said that the chairman, general manager, operations manager and maintenance manager carried “very serious and high-level responsibility.”
Roget added, “So, If it is during the investigation, it was determined that their management system failed and policies or they have no policies at all – they have to be responsible for that.
“So we are saying clearly, have them step aside for the duration of this investigation.”
