Oil workers in Mexico plead to come home

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Dozens of Trinidad and Tobago oilfield workers in Mexico have issued a plea to the government to allow them to return home.

The workers issued a statement to the media Wednesday night saying they are currently stranded there.

They say that before going to Mexico, they were working on a drilling installation located in Trinidad for over five years adding that they were offered the opportunity to work on a drilling installation in Mexico during the start-up phases.

“We left Trinidad on March 6th, 2020 and boarded the installation in Cuidad Del Carmen Mexico on the 9th March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, we were unable to return home on our scheduled date some 28 days later,” the worker said.

They added: “Up to today (June 3, 2020), close to 90 days later, we are awaiting the approval from the Trinidad and Tobago government to return home. We the workers are psychically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally exhausted by not being granted the approval date to return to our families and loved ones. Our families are also greatly affected by this unfortunate situation.”

The workers say their employer has already chartered a flight and made the request to the government for their safe return home.

“We do sympathize with all Trinbagonian’s that can’t return to their home country around the world. Our job dictates that we are under strict HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) guidelines, have been confined in our environment for close to 90 days and are low risk in terms of COVID contraction,” the workers say.

They added: “We are pleading to the government to return us, essential and tax-paying workers who have played a critical part in delivering the nation’s energy sector revenue over the last five to ten years.”

National Security Minister Stuart Young has said that all T&T nationals will be allowed home but that the government will have to control how they are allowed back in the country under the current COVID-19 restrictions.