MOVEMENT for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah says Ernesto Kesar and Clyde Elder have resigned from the party in order to contest the general election as candidates under the UNC's coalition of interests (COI).
After saying the working class and the labour movement must remain united, Abdulah said neither the PNM nor the UNC have demonstrated any commitment to implementing a workers' agenda when they are in government.
He added both parties have maintained an approach to divide workers at election time to benefit them politically.
Abdulah made these comments at a virtual news conference on February 23.
On February 19, Kesar and Elder appeared as Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU)/UNC candidates before the UNC's screening committee which is chaired by party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
On December 12, Persad-Bissessar met with representatives of the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP), Movement for National Development (MND), Congress of the People (COP), OWTU, Public Services Association (PSA), Postal Workers Union and the Fire Services Association to discuss a coalition against the PNM.
The COI includes the PEP, Laventille Outreach for Vertical Enrichment (LOVE) leader Lennox Smith and the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM).
The OWTU is a member of JTUM.
Persad-Bissessar said two labour candidates (Kesar and Elder) will contest the election under a UNC logo.
Kesar and Elder will contest the constituencies of Point Fortin and La Brea respectively.
In the 2020 election, Kesar unsuccessfully contested Point Fortin as an MSJ candidate.
Abdulah said there has been some confusion and mischief circulating in the public domain about Kesar and Elder's political affiliation before their presentation as OWTU/UNC candidates.
[caption id="attachment_743788" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Clyde Elder.[/caption]
He added while the MSJ remains the official political party representing the labour movement, the party's decision not to contest the election to focus on rebuilding itself may have caused some trade unions to believe the best way to remove the PNM from office is to support the UNC.
Abdulah said the MSJ's executive and activists councils met on February 17, two days before Kesar and Elder's appearance at UNC headquarters, to discuss the possibility of labour candidates contesting the election under a UNC banner.
"To be clear: the MSJ does not and was not seeking to be involved in or interfere in the internal affairs of any of the trade unions."
He said the party is not concerned about who is selected by other political parties to be their candidates in an election.
"However, this situation required us to meet since Ernesto Kesar was on the (February) 17th not only a member of the MSJ but an executive member."
Abdulah said Elder was also an MSJ member.
He added there are also MSJ members and activists who are members of a trade union "that is participating in this (UNC) coalition of interests."
"Decisions have to be made to ensure that there is transparency
