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CCNTV6
  • 2 years ago
Amid a protest calling for his removal, CEO of national Quarries Dr Vindell Kerr says management is aware of attempts to undermine them. He promises a retooled and modernized operation in time to come.
Transcript
00:00 National quarries workers staged a protest at their headquarters calling for the CEO
00:07 Dr Vindal Kaur to be axed.
00:11 Representing the workers at a protest in Aruka, Executive Vice President of the OWTU, Peter
00:16 Burke explains their frustration.
00:20 This is one of the first state enterprises that was formed in the early 70s as a strategic
00:28 company to help in our development.
00:30 Its founding CEO is now the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:36 Based on the reports from the workers, who you see out here in their numbers, this company
00:41 has been run down.
00:43 He says workers are blaming a high-ranking company official who they accuse of being
00:48 hell-bent on causing the company to crash as the company has proven reserves which are
00:53 not being exploited.
00:56 The workers on the technical side have been complaining that resources are not being made
01:02 available for them to maintain their equipment.
01:05 Workers he says are at odds as to whether the actions are deliberate or if it's a case
01:10 of incompetence.
01:11 The company fired its marketing manager, right, and without marketing you don't get revenue.
01:20 The workers have also been complaining about the contractors, that they are being overpaid,
01:28 that they are exploiting some of the resources that should be exploited by the company and
01:36 they are getting away with that sort of economic murder.
01:39 The union met with management after the protest but our efforts to contact Burke to find out
01:44 how it ended were futile.
01:46 He did not answer our calls.
01:49 We want the company to be productive.
01:53 We want our members to be productive contributors to the success of the company.
01:59 CEO of the company, Dr Vindal Kaur, emphatically disputes the notion that operations at Blanchey
02:05 Shares and main operations at Turey have been shut down.
02:09 He says plants have been shut down for maintenance or occasional mechanical failure.
02:14 Dr Kaur disputes that contractors are paid for work which can be done in-house.
02:19 Dr Kaur adds, quote, "There is a lot of pilfering in the industry and illegal quarrying.
02:26 Many of those who will complain are perhaps themselves colluding with others.
02:31 We have been losing a significant amount of material."
02:36 Having had what he describes as cordial and productive meetings with the union, he believes
02:41 in a good relationship going forward with the OWTU aimed at more efficient and profitable
02:49 national quarries.
02:50 Arvishi Tiwari, Rupner Rhein, TV6 News.
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