By Tito Baron Media
A TT$66.1 million wage settlement between Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union is expected to bring outstanding payments to approximately 150 eligible employees by December 15, according to Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath. The agreement addresses bargaining periods that ended several years ago, making implementation of the payment timetable the next significant milestone for the affected workers.
Padarath announced the settlement in Parliament on Friday, October 30. TTT reported that it covers the 2016–2017 and 2018–2020 bargaining periods and provides a cumulative nine per cent wage increase across five years. The minister described an agreement reached through direct negotiations between the company and union, rather than a resolution imposed by a court. Those are the terms publicly announced; they should not be confused with confirmation that every eligible employee has already received an individual calculation or payment.
The Caribbean Media Corporation’s account, published on October 31, also reported the December 15 payment target and the minister’s expectation that the settlement could help advance other negotiations. He identified a further 87 employees whose outstanding matters could benefit from that momentum: 26 represented by the Senior Staff Association and 61 professional staff members. Those employees should not be added to the roughly 150 covered by the announced PowerGen–OWTU settlement, or described as having secured the same agreement. A hoped-for next step is not a completed negotiation.
The distinction matters for readers following the wider public-sector wage discussions. This announcement concerns specified PowerGen bargaining periods and an identified group of workers. It does not establish that all disputes within the company, or across the electricity sector, have been resolved. Nor does the reported total establish what any particular employee will receive: individual entitlements were not detailed in the reporting reviewed for this article.
PowerGen’s own company history dates its establishment to December 23, 1994, following a partial divestment of the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission’s generation assets. The company identifies Point Lisas and Penal among its operating locations. That background places the agreement within the electricity-generation sector; it does not, on its own, demonstrate a change in consumer tariffs or service reliability resulting from the wage deal.
For workers and readers, the clearest test now is delivery against the announced deadline. Subsequent reporting should distinguish between the agreement’s terms, completion of payments, and any separate settlement for other staff. This report relies on the minister’s publicly reported announcement and the company’s published background; it does not claim access to the signed collective agreement or individual payroll records.
The available reporting describes a payment timetable, not proof that payments have cleared. Readers seeking confirmation after December 15 should look for a statement from PowerGen, the OWTU, or the Ministry of Public Utilities that specifically addresses payment completion and any remaining employee groups. That distinction will help separate an announced settlement from evidence of its implementation.
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