Trinidad’s largest trade union bodies are pushing back against heavy-handed police action during this year’s annual Labour Day commemorations in Fyzabad, after the arrest of a prominent social justice activist and her mother drew widespread condemnation from labor leaders.
National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) General Secretary Michael Annisette announced this week that the organization has retained a top senior legal advisor to conduct a full review of last Friday’s arrest of activist Alyssa Phillip, a case that leaders say raises serious questions about potential violations of constitutional rights. Annisette shared the details during a public press conference held at the Seaman and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) Hall in downtown Port of Spain, noting that the arrest was far from a routine law enforcement action.
“We are not rushing to judgment, which is why we have brought in senior counsel to assess the matter. They will advise us on the clear constitutional breaches we believe the police committed in this incident,” Annisette told reporters.
In a joint statement released alongside the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), NATUC amplified its criticism, calling out what it labels an “excessive armed police presence” that marred the 2024 Labour Day events. For the global labor movement, Fyzabad holds deep historic significance as a hub for worker organizing in Trinidad, and Labour Day is universally recognized as a protected space for working people to gather, honor past struggles, and voice their concerns freely and democratically.
“Labour Day is a sacred occasion for workers and their families. It was created to commemorate the struggles, sacrifices, and hard-won achievements of the working class, and it has always served as a platform for the free and democratic expression of workers’ views and concerns,” the statement read. “If any place and any day should allow workers and citizens to feel free and safe to peacefully and democratically express their views, that place is Fyzabad and that day is Labour Day.”
The joint statement emphasized that the intimidating show of overwhelming police force had no place at the annual celebration, saying the aggressive tactics of some officers only distracted from the core purpose of the commemorations. Even with the controversy over the arrests, the unions reaffirmed that the day remained focused on celebrating the gains workers won through generations of collective action.
The statement also confirmed that Annisette personally witnessed the detention of Phillip and her mother, Camille Caresquero. Leaders called the officers’ conduct alarming, saying that during the arrest, law enforcement personnel physically roughed up the two women and shoved aside Annisette’s teenage daughter to reach Phillip.
“These three women did not deserve to be treated like common criminals. The excessive actions of the police were totally uncalled for, wholly unacceptable and cannot be justified under any circumstances, because the peaceful actions of these three women posed no security threat or threat to the safety of the public,” the unions argued.
Following their arrest, both Phillip and Caresquero have been charged with three criminal offenses each. Phillip faces accusations of leading an unauthorized march, refusing an order to disperse, engaging in disorderly behavior, and resisting arrest. Her mother faces similar charges: failing to disperse when ordered, obstructing a police officer, and resisting arrest.
The pair have been active participants in recent public demonstrations calling for accountability and transparency in the high-profile case of Kaia Sealy, who is charged with manslaughter and firearms offenses connected to the January 20 shooting death of her husband Joshua Samaroo during a police intervention in St Augustine.