Trinmar retirees protested on Friday in front of the Heritage Petroleum building in Point Fortin over their medical plan and pension issues.

They accused the head of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, Ancel Roget, of failing to represent them, and also blamed the Government for failing to resolve the issues.

The union denied the claims. OWTU’s chief education and research officer, Ozzie Warwick, said the matters raised are pending in the industrial court. He added that the union has four cases coming up concerning the pension and the medical plans.

"The union, under the leadership of Roget, is pursuing their matters at the Industrial Court. The union is doing its duties, representing all of its members as well as the retirees.

"We have always stated that the decision to close Petrotrin was unfair. It was unjust. It was brutal and unjust. Making matters worse is the way the company treated the retirees. Because of that, the union decided that it would take up the matters which are now before the court."

Trinmar was part of state-owned Petrotrin. In 2018, the Government shut down Petrotrin’s Pointe-a-Pierre refinery. Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd, which replaced Petrotrin, has four subsidiaries, including Heritage Petroleum.

The protesters complained that they lost their medical plan when the Government shut down the refinery.

Protester and spokesman Frankie Mc Guire told reporters about 60 people are affected.

He said the retirees wrote to the Prime Minister, who referred them to then Energy Minister Franklin Khan. After Khan died last year, they wrote to the PM again. Mc Guire said he referred them to officials at Heritage Petroleum.

The retirees met with the officials and an agreement was made with an insurance company. Later, the insurance company changed, and the new company had different terms and conditions.

Mc Guire considered retirees "pioneers of TT," saying they had worked hard in the most unsafe conditions.

Warwick told Newsday the union has also begun meeting with other members as well as retirees on these outstanding issues.

"Since last week, we have had a series of meetings. They continue next week Thursday and Friday at the union halls. They (protesters) can make themselves available at the Point Fortin Hall for an update on the matters relating to their medical and pension plans," he said. "It was the government and the company that took their plans, not the union."