Clyde Elder
{{short description|Trinidad and Tobago trade unionist and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name =
| honorific-suffix = MP
| image =
| office = MP for La Brea
| term_start = 3 May 2025
| term_end =
| predecessor = Stephen McClashie
| successor =
| birth_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| party = United National Congress (UNC)
| otherparty = Movement for Social Justice (MSJ)
| alma_mater =
}}
Clyde Elder is a Trinidad and Tobago trade unionist and politician who served as Secretary General of the Communication Workers Union. He is the United National Congress member of parliament representing the La Brea constituency, and serves as Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities.
Career
Elder worked for Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) when he was elected Secretary General of the Communication Workers Union in 2017. The company granted him unpaid leave from 2017 to 2020 while he held a full-time position with the union.
In 2018 when Elder was part of a group of 503 workers who were retrenched by TSTT. At the time of the retrenchment, Elder was on unpaid leave from the company.{{Cite news |last=Achong |first=Derek |date=2025-01-19 |title=EX-TSTT workers awarded $5M: Court condemns 2018 retrenchment |url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/extstt-workers-awarded-5m-court-condemns-2018-retrenchment-6.2.2210912.617d3b28a5 |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian}} In 2025 the Industrial Court ordered the company to reinstate Elder with full pay and retirement benefits he would have received over that period, and an additional TT$100,000 in exemplary damages.{{Cite news |last=Ramdass |first=Rickie |date=2025-01-25 |title=CWU considering appeal over TSTT’s $5m payout order |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/business/local/cwu-considering-appeal-over-tstt-s-5m-payout-order/article_2179e886-d78c-11ef-ab38-1b04fa934aac.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Express}}
Elder served two terms as Secretary General of the Communication Workers Union from 2017 to 2020 and from 2020 to 2023.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.cwu-tt.com/about |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=CWU-TT |language=en}} He was a member of the pro-labour Movement for Social Justice until he resigned to contest the La Brea seat for the UNC in February 2025.{{Cite news |last=Chan Tack |first=Clint |date=2025-02-23 |title=Abdulah: Kesar, Elder have resigned from MSJ |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/02/23/abdulah-kesar-elder-have-resigned-from-msj/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday}}{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Sacha |date=2025-02-24 |title=Elder, Kesar part ways with MSJ, insist they were not forced out |url=https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/elder-kesar-part-ways-with-msj--insist-they-were-not-forced-out-6.2.2240565.79e5af1b44 |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Guardian |archive-date=2025-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307200241/https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/elder-kesar-part-ways-with-msj--insist-they-were-not-forced-out-6.2.2240565.79e5af1b44 |url-status=live }}
Politics
Elder contested the La Brea seat for the UNC in the 2025 general elections,{{Cite news |last=Ramdass |first=Anna |date=2025-02-20 |title=Two union picks to fight under UNC |url=https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/two-union-picks-to-fight-under-unc/article_a906757a-ef34-11ef-869f-bbecb1317ba4.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Express}} and defeated the People's National Movement's Randall Mitchell.{{Cite web |last=Webb |first=Yvonne |date=2025-04-29 |title=Labour holds the reins of power in La Brea, Point Fortin |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/04/29/labour-holds-the-reins-of-power-in-la-brea-point-fortin/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |language=en-US}} He was the first non-PNM candidate to win the seat since 1986 when Albert Richards of the National Alliance for Reconstruction won the seat.{{Cite news |last=Webb |first=Yvonne |date=2025-04-29 |title=Labour holds the reins of power in La Brea, Point Fortin |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/04/29/labour-holds-the-reins-of-power-in-la-brea-point-fortin/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday}}
On May 3, 2025 he was appointed Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities in the Persad-Bissessar administration.{{Cite news |date=2025-05-03 |title=Trinidad and Tobago’s new government |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2025/05/03/trinidad-and-tobagos-new-government/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday}}
Electoral history
{{2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election/La Brea}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{13th Republican Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, Clyde}}
Category:21st-century Trinidad and Tobago politicians
Category:Trinidad and Tobago trade unionists
Category:United National Congress politicians
Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago)