And while these deepening disputes with the unions are taking a toll on the Briceno Administration which - lest we forget - just won a general election 109 days ago, the UDP has failed to capitalize or gain any political momentum.
Even after the electorate spoke on March 7th, the party remains divided and cannot decide who is its rightful leader or what is the way forward.
And now the former Chairman - who resigned on March 17th, is re-entering the fray. Like Shyne Barrow, who resigned on the same day, Mike Peyrefitte has rescinded his resignation and is reclaiming his seat. He told us he's back to try and save the UDP from a further descent into political oblivion:
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"I have had discussions with all the leading personalities in different factions of the party. We have agreed that I will return as chairman and I am telling you that this is where we are now. And I am also telling you that I have been assured that we will move forward with a level of transparency and maturity that we know we need to have for the betterment of the party."
"And I will tell you also again, that if I believe that we're not moving in that direction, as was promised to me by the leading personalities in the party, I have, I have no hesitation in telling you that I will resign again, because I feel like the majority of the people in our party that were sick of this, we're sick of seeing what's happening in our party."
"And, I am fully prepared to take charge of the party, so to speak, up until the point where we have our national convention."
"And I think the quicker we can get to a national convention to select the leadership of the party, the better and the quicker we can move on, in peace and harmony and to prevent recent actions from ever happening again."
"And I'm telling you this, and I can say this to you, I come back very reluctantly. I came back very reluctantly. But, they know my weakness, and my weakness is the love of my party and the love of my country."
Jules Vasquez
"So we have three key personalities involved. We have Alberto August, who is acting chairman. We have Shyne Barrow who is the leader, the the current leader, and we have Tracy Panton who is the leader of the opposition. Where do those three key persons stand with your proposed reentry?"
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"Well, without getting into too many details. I can tell you that all three of them fully support me coming back as chairman. I spoke to all of them yesterday and again today on all three of them. I won't go as far as to say that I was encouraged in, by them to come back to, to help with this process. But what that, to me, is just a matter of details."
"But we are in current discussions about how we go forward. I think there is a lot of positivity that was expressed to me yesterday, and today, and I look forward to us solving this in the very, very near future. And hey, if it doesn't work out, I can always resign again."
"My goal, my goal is to have us have an NPC vote on matters and then have a national convention so we can settle issues once and for all."
