Some of you may know that on Saturday night, we had a special edition of 7NEWS. The very unusual weekend newscast, only our second Saturday edition in 11 years of doing the news, came after a truly extraordinary Friday night on BTL's compound when police descended on the Esquivel Telecom Center, swept out the employees and took over the phone company. Here now is a repeat of that story, which we first aired on Saturday night.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
The Commissioner of Police left BTL at 8:30 pm. A patrol team remained outside while BTL employees held another meeting in the compound. And at 8:30 pm two pickup trucks with the Anti Drug Unit descended on the building. They went right up to the front door and went into the reception area of the private company
The lights revealed officers calm with fingers on the trigger and prepared for all contingencies. They went to secure the upstairs and Officer Commanding Eastern Division Crispin Jeffries told them they are clearing the building.
Crispin Jeffries Sr., Assistant Commissioner of Police
"Ladies and gentlemen we are clearing the building. The media this way please. Put it right in the face Jules, right in the face. You want to see it. Thank you, goodbye."
After he threw me out, a ruckus started outside the door led by employees who demanded uproariously to get into their company.
Worker: This is not Independence Hill. You can't come pepper spray we up.
No spray but Jeffries watched coolly from inside while his officers held the entrance. Jeffries' officers also cleared the executive managers from the offices upstairs and the workers who remained at the door resisted the offer to leave that area of confrontation.
A hostile takeover indeed and by all appearances, an illegal one. But it persisted and escalated as Jeffries was determined to move the workers off their own compound and as he went to discuss the strategy with a team outside the workers continued to try the man holding the door, now ASP Edward Broaster - in this case a restroom request.
And that's when Assistant Commissioner Eulalio Cantun came down and had a strategy discussion with Jeffries outside and after that it was really all clear.
Crispin Jeffries Sr.,
"We are now clearing the compound. Please move from the door. Did you people hear me? We are clearing the building. Please clear the compound."
But Jeffries would not be moved and he got the balcony cleared at least until the arrival of the Leader of the Opposition and the lawyer for the unions. He entered with a salute and tried to get matters straightened inside while outside it started to get sticky again.
Worker: Don't push me.
The next flashpoint came when BTL Attorney Michael Young was locked outside. But eventually the order did come down and Broaster personally escorted him inside where he was greeted with applause.
Young went inside and the triumphant workers stared with a tailgate party complete with Tanya Stephens playing and a barbeque in the background. And that spirit of defiance soared even higher when the face of Dale Trujeque, the Human Resource Manager appeared in the window of the boardroom and in a grim foreboding of what would happen in a few minutes, Trujeque gave the sign of being shackled.
And with spirits rising outside and another confrontation at the door involving a knife, Jeffries had enough and started the move to get everyone out of the compound and that would also mean the end for me.
Crispin Jeffries Sr.,
"Jules please leave now. We are escorting the media off the compound."
Jules Vasquez,
"Under what authority?"
Crispin Jeffries Sr.,
"You are not an employee here."
Jules Vasquez,
"I am a shareholder."
And when the police started moving out the barbeque pit at the same time Jeffries slapped my camera and actually made it strop working for a few minutes. After we got a next camera that's when the fire alarm went off forcing evacuation of the building which was the only BTL's managers, including CEO Gaspar Aguilar got out of a meeting where they were basically being held hostage. Barrow explained the position.
Dean Barrow,
"What the order said merely was that all employees of BTL were being mandated to turn on back the services. That noh give the police any right to go and commandeer BTL. They took the order there, Mr. Aguilar the CEO read the order to the employees. He did all he could have done and at one stage Mr. Jeffries was trying to arrest him too. Clearly it was not in the control of the CEO to turn on back the switches as they put it. He is not technical man so the whole thing was a comedy of errors. But bottom line, as far as I know, everybody else was able to evacuate the building, because basically the police were holding them hostage, when the fire alarms went off and we said look you are really endangering people's lives if you keep them here. At that point Cantun who was not upstairs, who had already come downstairs, when he saw Trujeque leaving said no you going with me since I mi tell you upstairs that I am arresting you."
And while Trujeque was taken to the police station, when the police continued to try to again clear the BTL workers off the compound that's when more confusion started. Fortunately that was settled in a few minutes. And then everyone finally cleared the compound with the fire alarm sounding in the distance. And those workers who did not want to go were forcibly removed by Mr. Jeffries. Soon with police guarding the gates, security guards who were not allowed inside to clock in went home. After that the union planned a strategy session where it was decided to take the group to Queen Street where Human Resource Manager Dale Trujeque as detained after being arrested for starting a riot. They encouraged passers by to blow their horns in resistance which created quite a ruckus and traffic jam in front of the country's main police station. As young officers looked on, attorney Dean Barrow discussed strategy and then went in to visit Dale Trujeque. As Barrow spoke to the officers inside it was clear that he would not be able to get out Trujeque as he explained to the unionists the position.
Dean Barrow,
"Assistant Commissioner or whatever Cantun, he when I was in the conference room told Mr. Trujeque he was under arrest on no basis that I could see. This was after I explained that there was not a reason to keep anybody, any of the BTL officials, detained. At that stage Cantun told Mr. Trujeque he was under arrest for participating in an illegal strike. He's brought Mr. Trujeque here and basically the officers in charge don't what the position is, they have to get their instruction from Cantun and he can't be found; they're trying to radio him. Presumably he will arrive at some stage and at that time we will know whether they will try keep the man overnight, which again would be ridiculous, or whether he would lay his false charge and give the man his bail and let him go. You know that while it is a ridiculous charge, even if it were serious, it is something which carries some kind of $2,000 fine or foolishness like that so its not anything that he is entitled to hold the man for, this is something that an eminently fit for station bail we have to wait and see what the great almighty Mr. Cantun wah do."
And that was the position again at 8:30 this morning - no charge no bail, Trujeque still in jail, except that this time Barrow had the benefit of a cell phone as did union activist Mark Usher.
As is now well known, Dale Trujeque was held until Saturday afternoon. Getting above the noise, our team was there when he got out for the post jailhouse exclusive.
Jules Vasquez,
How does it feel?
Dale Trujeque,
"This is splendid. You spend time with the best security inna di world."
Jules Vasquez,
Why were you locked up?
Dale Trujeque,
"They said I participated inna some strike. I neva even know we had a strike."
This morning Trujeque was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord for taking part in a strike in connection with a trade dispute without the dispute being reported to the Minister of Labor. The charge is a mouthful but after accepting a plea of not guilty Chief Magistrate Lord released Trujeque on $400 bail plus a surety in the same amount. Lord noted that was the smallest bail he has ever granted. Trujeque's Attorney Michael Peyrefitte asked for full disclosure before the start of the trial. Noting that the charge is a misdemeanor with a penalty of $250 he also requested a speedy trial. The case was adjourned until June 9th.