Former trade union leader and minister of labour Errol McLeod is now blasting the trade union movement for being too involved in politics.
In a brief interview yesterday, McLeod said the survival of the trade union movement was now dependent on a cohesive but politically neutral stance.
"Many of them in the leadership of trade unions today, have to deal with the perception that they are in the pockets of particular politic elements," McLeod said.
He did not want to expand or name names.
"Let's just say that the protests have not been genuine protests. I don't know if I want to put it any clearer than that," he said.
McLeod retired from the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) in 2008 after serving for 26 years. By 2010 he entered politics on the People's Partnership ticket and became minister of Labour.
During the campaigning for the 2010 general election, McLeod's successor Ancel Roget spoke on several People's Partnership platforms. Roget was vocal against the then People's National Movement (PNM).
Roget and the People's Partnership warred early on after former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar took office when the then government was accused of imposing a wage cap on collective negotiations.
Just before the 2015 general election, Roget met with then opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley and campaigned against the United National Congress (UNC).
Last year, before the complete shutdown of Petrotrin, Rowley and Roget fell out and Roget has since met several bodies including opposition leader to share his union's plan for the state oil company.
McLeod called for the unions to be better organised in order to survive.
"The unions going forward, first of all, have to be organised, united across industrial areas, across occupations," he said.
He said the movement lost momentum when it became too involved in the political arena.
"They must return to the basis on which they were formed," McLeod said.
"They must have a measure of pragmatism, determined to fight everyone who is opposed to the growth and development of the trade unions," he added.