Movement for Social Justice leader and Independent senator David Abdulah has relinquished his post as president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations (Fitun). In a surprise move yesterday Abdulah announced his decision not to offer himself for re-election as president.
He was at the time addressing Fitun's conference of delegates at Oilfields Workers' Trade Union, Paramount Building, Circular Road, San Fernando. The conference was attended by delegates from all the member unions and organisations under Fitun, including the Arima Maxi Taxi Association, the Artists Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Council and Fire Services Association, among others.
Abdulah told delegates: "I feel that having made Fitun into a household name in Trinidad and Tobago and taken it from infancy to its present stage, I think now is a very appropriate time for me to relinquish the presidency of Fitun." He said he also took a personal decision to focus on the MSJ since the party needs to be "nurtured" and to grow.
Apart from being Fitun president, Abdulah is also the OWTU's general secretary and political leader of the MSJ. He told the delegates: "I cannot be president of Fitun and political leader of MSJ and be fair to both. "Both will lose out if I am carrying that responsibility and therefore I think my principal responsibility right now is that of political leader of MSJ...I will continue as general secretary of OWTU," he added.
Abdulah reflected on the role of Fitun in the development of Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, he attributes the increasing level of social consciousness to the efforts of Fitun during the Summit of the Americas protest and its relentless pursuit against the corruption. He added that Fitun had re-established "social movements in this country."
"Fitun played a crucial role in bringing consciousness to the level where it is where no government is safe from mass criticism and mass protest and no government is safe if they go against the interest of the people and I think what we did over the years contributed immensely to that," Abdulah declared.
He said even former Prime Minister Patrick Manning admitted that "it was the trade union mobilisation that forced him to call the election early in 2010." Abdulah also responded to the call by labour leaders for the formation of a labour political party.
On Saturday, Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU) leader Vincent Cabrera called for the formation of a labour political party. At yesterday's conference Communications Workers Union president Joseph Remy added his support to Cabrera's call. Abdulah said: "I hear my colleagues speaking about the workers' party but it is not an abstraction...The workers party is the Movement for Social Justice."