It brought a smile to my face when I looked at the evening news on June 18. There was ex-comrade Errol McLeod speaking, in measured tones of course, about not attending the Labour Day parade. In fact, I did not just smile, I laughed. I also envisaged a large amount of the electorate doing exactly the same. It is a matter of record that the labour movement under the People’s National Movement did not have a hug and kiss relationship with the ruling party. I distinctly remember David Abdulah of the Movement for Social Justice being hauled by the seat of his trousers into a police car for protesting outside Parliament, which was and is the union leaders’ favourite place of protest.
Fast forward to today’s Partnership Government being in power and the entire labour movement has been embarrassed and left at the political altar when they were promised to be part of the new government in power. When they believed that they had their own stalwart soldier to give them an “inside edge”. When they believed that their comrade would not desert them in their hour of need, having in the past fiercely championed the rights of the workers of Oilfield Workers Trade Union Movement and others. They feel the comrade has now left them all literally sucking political salt. I would be very ashamed of the labour movement and all that it stands for if it had even thought of sending Minister McLeod an invitation to anywhere in the vicinity of Charlie King Junction. I would want to believe that Minister McLeod will know and expect that reactions to his presence will have been less than welcoming.
Lynette Joseph
Via e-mail.