OWTU on Paria diving tragedy: Families still awaiting justice, compensation

ON September 9, two days before three people, including two officials from state-owned Paria Fuel Trading Company, are to reappear in court in connection with the 2022 Paria diving tragedy, several people gathered in Pointe-a-Pierre to remind the public about the upcoming case.

Christopher Jackman, the president of the Point-a-Pierre branch of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), said there is a misconception that the divers’ families had gotten justice.

“That is far from the truth. We do not know if this matter is serious or another pappy show like what we have faced in the last two years and six months,” Jackman said while under a tent at Tulip Avenue in Point-a-Pierre.

“The families have yet to be compensated by either party. The families have yet to receive justice from the courts. They have not received a cent from Paria. They have not received any workmen compensation or any charitable donation from Paria.”

He was addressing media personnel and about 15 friends and relatives of two of the victims at the memorial site at the roadside.

Expected to reappear on September 11 before San Fernando magistrate Alicia Chankar are Paria’s general manager, Mushtaq Mohammed, and operations manager, Colin Piper, as well as the head of Land and Marine and Construction Services (LMCS), Kazim Ali Snr.

They are charged by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA) in connection with the deaths of four LMCS workers including Ali’s 36-year-old son Kazim Ali Jnr.

At the initial virtual court hearing in July, the charges were not read and that is expected to be done on September 11.

On February 25, 2022, Ali Jnr, together with co-workers Rishi Nagassar, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry, and Christopher Boodram, were repairing a 30-inch pipeline at Paria’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility when they were sucked into it.

Only Boodram managed to get out alive.

At the memorial site, Jackman said the country spent significant money on the Commission of Enquiry and recalled several recommendations were made.

He added that so far, nothing has been done except for the putting together of a committee to assess the risks of diving.

The union representative accused Paria of ruining the lives of five families and refusing even to acknowledge it and tried to correct it.

Jackman charged that in Paria, some people in leadership positions are not qualified, which poses daily risks to people’s lives.

He alleged that apart from the Paria tragedy, which gained national attention, there were other workers exposed to hazards like fire and explosion at the site. Before the tragedy, he said, a pipeline fell on one of the worker’s feet, severing it.

He vowed that the OWTU intends to publicise every incident inside the state-owned company.

Jackman also called on Paria to remove unqualified staffers to restore and revamp the company’s operations.

“It cannot be that we lost the lives of these four workers. It could happen again. Is it that we are not learning from what happened?” he added.

He also questioned Piper’s position and involvement in Paria.

Jackman renewed calls for compensation for the families as well as swift justice at the court as it relates to OSH as well as criminal prosecutions.

Celisha Kurban and Vanessa Kussie, the widows of Kurban and Nagassar, held a banner bearing the men’s photo.

Part of it read, “Heroes of the sea. We want justice now. All heroes do not wear capes, some wear diving gears.”

They opted not to comment.

As the OWTU has done at previous events, they burned images of several people including Piper and Mohammed, the Prime Minister and the Energy Minister.

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