Offshore oil rig employees prohibited from protesting over working conditions

Peaceful Assembly 

Several demonstrations took place in Trinidad and Tobago over the last several months. 

In April 2017, 22 workers from the Oilfields Workers Trade Union organised a protest over health and safety conditions working on the offshore oil rig owned by Lennox Petroleum. In response to the protesters, the company filed a lawsuit claiming that the workers had trespassed. The court in turn granted the injunction, prohibiting the oil workers from protesting on the rig. Armed police forcefully removed the workers from the protest site.

Also in April but in a separate incident, workers from the TeleCommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago organised a protest in the south over concerning issues within the company. Demonstrators asserted that the company lacked up-to-date technology, a sufficient number of staff and reliable vehicles. The Communications Workers Union participated in and supported the protest.

In May 2017, residents in North Oropouche held a third major protest petitioning the local authorities to repair the roads. Demonstrators erected barricades with burning tires in five locations, blocking the roads. Police and military removed the blockade due to the the dangers of inhibiting road access in and out of the community.