Padarath: Petrotrin gone, TSTT gone, WASA next
Princes Town MP, Barry Padarath is today reminding the population that the Opposition United National Congress warned the nation on the eve of the 2020 General Election of Government’s intention to privatise several state enterprises, thereby sending thousands of workers home.
Padarath, the Opposition Shadow Minister of Public Utilities indicated that with the announcement made by the Communications Workers Union that over six hundred employees are being thrown on the bread line is another warning sounded by the Opposition coming to pass with the closure of TSTT.
The MP further indicated that after the closure of PETROTRIN which saw thousands of workers being fired, several years have since elapsed and the refinery has now become scrapped metal. At the UNC’s Monday Virtual Platform, the Princes Town MP revealed that several properties of TSTT have been abandoned by the state while privately owned properties were being leased from friends and financiers of the PNM. The MP also questioned what has been the outcome of an employee within TSTT blowing the whistle on a half a billion-dollar deal gone sour in 2019 with respect to close to 50,000 mobile phones being found abandoned in a warehouse in Miami.
Padarath indicated that the same playbook that the PNM used to close down PETROTRIN is being used with respect to TSTT, by demonizing employees and running the company into the ground.
The Princes Town MP is calling for a clear and precise statement on Government’s policy as it relates to the workers being sent home at TSTT as well as whether TSTT’s assets are going to be sold in a fire sale to friends and financiers of the PNM.
He also stated that with the closure of PETROTRIN and the impending closure of TSTT that it was very clear that WASA is next.
MP Padarath indicated more would be said on WASA in the coming weeks with respect to the Cabinet Sub-Committee Report and the real intentions behind its so called findings. He called on WASA employees to find the fire in their bellies to stave off massive joblessness there as well.