Today's Malaysian Trades Union Congress Selangor/Federal Territory special delegates conference saw the MTUC Zainal Rampaks team making a clean sweep of all four contested posts at the division level.
TNB Junior Officers' Union deputy president Md Zamri Md Yassin, aligned to Team A led by Zainal won the vice-chairman's post uncontested.
The others saw close fights with an average 30-vote margin. A total of 508 delegates turned up at the Transport Workers Union hall in Petaling Jaya to elect the office-bearers.
Incumbent chairman Mohd Razali Abdullah, executive secretary of the Printing Industry Employees Union, garnered 266 votes to thwart his challenger Abdullah Abu Bakar' who obtained 232 votes.
Abdullah is part of MTUC secretary-general G Rajasekaran's Team B and Zainal's arch-rival.
Zainal will meet National Union of Transport Equipment Allied Industry Workers executive secretary Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud for the fourth time since 1994, while Rajasekaran's opponent is MAS Employees Union secretary-general Abdul Malek Ariff in elections for MTUCs top posts next week.
Tough battle
The main elections on March 6 will be a tough battle between the two veterans who have opposing styles of handling labour issues, with the former being hard-hitting while his one-time close friend is preaching a softer approach with the government.
The divisional results are believed to be the siren-bell for the main elections, and thus far, it looks like Zainal's Team A stands a better chance of claiming victory.
Newly-elected Selangor/FT secretary Samuel Devadason, when contacted, said the new committee, being all Zainal's men, will continue to support him and start campaigning strongly for him to retain the post he has held for 17 years.
Devadason won the secretary's post with 262 votes while his challenger Harris Advanced Technology Workers Union president Bruno Pereira got 236 votes.
"Now that the committee members all come from one side, I will mobilise all committee members and campaign strongly for our president.
"But I must say that today's results were definitely a blow for them (Team B divisional members)," he said.
Devadason, general secretary of the Malayan Technical Services Union, is also gunning for the position of financial secretary in the main elections, where he faces A Sivananthan from the Selangor and FT Textile Workers Union.
"I'm more interested in a position in the main body. If I win there, I will make way for someone else to take over the division secretary's post," he said.
Dinner plans
The division assistant secretary's post went to National Union of Telekoms Employees (NUTE) exco member Mohd Zamzuri Ghazali who got 277 votes while his opponent, University Malaya General Staff Union exco member Mohd Ikmal Thanaraj Abdullah, managed to get 211 votes.
Mohd Zamzuri is also the incumbent secretary of MTUC Youth.
MAS Employees' Union exco member M Periasamy won the treasurer's post with 242 votes. His opponent Harris Advanced Technology Workers Union secretary Rathi Rajaratnam obtained 225 votes.
The third candidate, Zaharuddin Alias of Kepak Muamalat, withdrew this morning.
Zainal's Team A will be holding a big dinner at the TWU for all delegates and supporters on March 5, a day before voting day.
Similarly, Rajasekaran's Team B has dinner plans too, but the venue is still under wraps.
Triennial conference
Meanwhile, it is learn that Team B was in an intense marathon post-mortem session for today's divisional results in an attempt to re-route their strategy for success. None of them could be contacted for comments.
Almost 600 delegates from 112 affiliates will converge at the Civic Centre in Petaling Jaya for the triennial delegates conference on March 5 and 6 to vote for the president, secretary-general, deputy secretary-general, financial secretary, deputy financial secretary and 11 vice-president posts for the private, public and statutory bodies sectors.
NUTE president Mohd Shafie BP Mammal was returned unopposed as the MTUC deputy president when nominations were finalised last week.
