JTUM: Aboud being disingenuous

During last Friday’s Labour Day II march in Port of Spain, JTUM leader Ancel Roget called on workers to boycott 120 eliterun businesses, saying workers had to “take back power” from the group, which has described themselves during an interview with an international news network, as the “most powerful group” in society.

However, Aboud who is the owner of Mode Alive, said success was “not a crime” and unions should instead focus on corruption.

He identified Petrotrin as one enterprise which required review. However, Warwick in a telephone interview said the issue had nothing to do with race but with elitism and the class structure that exists in this country.

“This is a small group who is exerting influence and power over the rest of society and that is what we are talking about,” Warwick said. He said Aboud’s “diatribe” on success did not take into account workers’ contribution to the success of those businesses.

Regarding the fight against corruption, Warwick recalled the unions held a massive march on December 5, 2014 against corruption in Port of Spain and no business person had closed the doors of their businesses, in solidarity with the unions.

“So for you to come now and talk about being this advocate against corruption, that is a bit disingenuous,” Warwick said.

On Petrotrin, he said Aboud had ignored the contribution to the nation’s purse of approximately $15 billion which had been used in health, education and the development of the nation’s infrastructure.

“And because of the contribution of Petrotrin we are able to have subsidies in terms of the gas pump and in terms of LPG. So Petrotrin has contributed significantly over the years to the development of Trinidad and Tobago.

So for him to pretend that has not happened or did not happen is a bit disingenuous on his part.”