Watson Duke has claimed victory in Monday’s Public Services Association (PSA) although the result still has not been ratified. He said the priorities for his second four-year term would be job and income security for members. Speaking at a news conference yesterday at the PSA head office, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, three days after the election, Duke said his slate of candidates, the Game Changers, had won all posts contested by a handsome margin.
He told reporters the preliminary results were released at 10 pm on Wednesday and special votes were still to be counted but was confident that would not affect the official results. He said 40 per cent of PSA members voted, the highest turnout in any PSA elections. On concerns about the delay in announcing the results and the 40 per cent turnout, he said the delay was usual. “The history of the PSA elections is always one where the results are delayed, simply because trade unionists by nature are ‘cantankerous’ people,” he added.
In seeking to clarify that comment, Duke said trade unionists “don’t settle or lose easily.” He said in the 2009 elections the results were released after four days and no one could be blamed for that as the elections committee was an independent body. Duke said his team had known the results since Monday night, hours after the polls were closed, as they tabulated the votes after getting information from polling agents at the 69 stations.
On the voter turnout, Duke said the PSA elections “was something that hardly attracts anybody. Presidents are elected and no one cares.” However, in a television report last night, Callender said he had filed an application for an injunction against the release of the results by elections officer Virsil Charles-Wright. It is due to be heard on Tuesday in the Port-of-Spain High Court. He claimed there had been irregularities in the election process.
Six slates contested—Team Sentinel, Team Liberators, Team Phoenix, Game Changers, Team Defenders and Rebuilders—for the posts of president, first vice-president, second vice-president, general secretary, deputy general secretary, treasurer, five industrial relations officers and two trustees. The other presidential candidates were Terrence Regis (Team Phoenix); Raymond Butler (Team Defenders); Christopher Wilson (Rebuilders) and independent candidate Riki Cedeno.
An estimated 17,000 public servants were eligible to vote.