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Victim finds NIS contributions not paid
… Fishing Trawler explosion
By Latoya Giles
The trawler explosion which happened almost one month ago has started a “frenzy” of speculation about the way in which National Insurance Scheme is paid to fishing workers at the Prittipaul Singh Investment Company.
The fishing trawler, which is owned by the major seafood company, exploded in the North West, Region One, Barima/Waini, injuring four of its crewmen.
Orlon Munroe, 19, of Cane Grove Mahaica sustained burns to almost 90 percent of his body.
Also injured in the freak accident were George Fitzpatrick, Keith Abrams and Elvis Todd. The body of the Captain Delbert Williams was never recovered.
Orlon Munroe at the hospital recently
Several checks at the National Insurance Scheme yesterday have unearthed that a substantial amount of contributions for Orlon Munroe, which should have been paid by his employer, had not been paid.
Kaieteur News was reliably informed that as of May 2010, Munroe only had 26 contributions which were paid by Captain Delbert Williams.
A source at NIS, yesterday, told this newspaper that contributions were paid from December 2009 to May 2010.
The source further told this publication that Munroe, who, according to relatives, had been working with the company for over two years, should have acquired 157 contributions.
“If he was working so long with the company….he ought to have 157 contributions and not 26,” said the source.
When contacted, an official from Prittipaul Investments yesterday told Kaieteur News that the company should not be blamed, since it was the Captain’s responsibility to pay NIS.
The official said that the Captain who is employed by Prittipaul signs a contract, and he in turn hires his crew.
Furthermore the official said that the deduction is based on the income the crew makes on each trip.
According to the official, the Captain is the person who submits all the paper work to NIS, and not the company.
Meanwhile, outraged relatives of the teen said that the Ministry of Labour should immediately launch an investigation.
The teen’s mother, Cheryl Munroe, said that her son had been working for almost three years with the company.
Frustrated and at her wits end, the woman said that if she could have afforded to get her son abroad for treatment she would have done it already.
According to the woman, one official from the seafood company said that the company will not discuss compensation until the government concludes its investigation.
She is very adamant that her son should be fully compensated by the seafood company.
Meanwhile, when this newspaper visited the teen on Sunday, he was in high spirits.
He said that although he is thankful that he is alive, he still questions why the accident happened.
Munroe says that he feels extremely lonely since his other two colleagues who were injured in the accident have been discharged.
“Is just me alone leave back now….I does feel real lonely,” the teen said.
Munroe had told this newspaper that on the day of the incident they attempted to start the engine but a wire started to spark and the next thing, there was fire “all over”.
“I feel fire all over me body and me and the Captain run out of the engine room. I jump overboard.”
Fitzpatrick said that he was sleeping when he was awakened by the heat. About 25 per cent of his body was burnt.
He said that he was able to put the badly injured Captain in a tub used to store fish while he and Todd managed to grab on to the cover of the same tub.
Minister Robert Persaud had said that a full investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire and to ensure that the industry does not suffer.
When contacted yesterday, Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir said that the investigation was still ongoing and the findings would be made public.
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