Natuc stands with Alyssa

The National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) is seeking legal advice on the arrest of activist Alyssa Phillip during Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago.

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I’m not going to pronounce on it and we are engaging senior counsel to discuss it so that they will guide us in terms of the constitutionality that we see that was breached by the police.

Michael Annisette, general secretary of NATUC, described Phillip's arrest as a serious matter with potential constitutional breaches. The union is consulting senior counsel to guide them on the constitutionality of the police's actions. The arrest, along with that of Phillip's mother, Camille Caresquero, involved alleged rough handling by officers.

In a joint statement, NATUC and the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) voiced concerns about what they termed an "excessive armed police presence" at the Labour Day event. They emphasized that Labour Day is a sacred occasion for workers to freely and democratically express their views, and that an intimidating display of force by police undermines this purpose.

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Labour Day is a sacred occasion for workers and their families. It is a day that commemorates the struggles, sacrifices, and achievements of the working class and serves as a platform for the free and democratic expression of workers’ views and concerns.

The unions highlighted that while they had permission to march, the actions of some officers created a significant distraction from the day's intended spirit. They asserted that Phillip, her mother, and another teenage girl present were treated inappropriately, likening their treatment to that of common criminals. The unions stressed that these individuals posed no security threat and that the police's excessive actions were unjustifiable.

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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.