PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – President Christine Kangaloo has named Heather Seale as the brand new President of the Industrial Court docket even because the commerce union motion right here urged her to rethink the choice to not renew the contract of the outgoing President Deborah Thomas-Felix, which expires on Thursday.
In an announcement, the Workplace of the President mentioned that Seale was appointed the top of state and consulted with Chief Justice Ivor Archie, as required by the Industrial Relations Act.
Seale has held positions as an Industrial Court docket member, Tax Enchantment Board registrar, and state counsel on the Ministry of Finance.
The Workplace of the President mentioned that as a member of the Industrial Court docket, she “has served diligently and constantly contributed to the event of the economic relations jurisprudence in Trinidad and Tobago by her honor’s many written judgments.”
The assertion thanked Thomas-Felix for her service to the courtroom for greater than 11 years, including that her “management over this era was instrumental in serving to to construct capability on the Industrial Court docket, together with constructing a pool of gifted members from which it has been potential to pick a brand new president.”
However, the President of the Joint Commerce Union Motion (JTUM), Ancel Roget, who spoke to reporters after delivering a letter to the President on Tuesday, mentioned that at an emergency assembly involving the Nationwide Commerce Union Centre (NATUC) and the Federation of Unbiased Commerce Unions and NGOs (FITUN), the unions had solely been knowledgeable by sources {that a} choice had been taken “to not renew the contract of the sitting President of the Industrial Court docket of Trinidad and Tobago and that it was communicated to her two days earlier than the expiration of her contract and two days earlier than her elimination.
“We discovered it to be extremely irregular and disrespectful to the incumbent and the workplace itself,” he mentioned, including that Thomas-Felix is overseas and because of return on Saturday.
“This speaks to not solely unhealthy industrial relations observe and appears to counsel that the custodian of excellent industrial-relations observe within the nation, the President of the Industrial Court docket herself, has fallen sufferer to unhealthy industrial relations and oppressive therapy meted out by the Trinidad and Tobago authorities.
“It represents a disrespect to the courtroom itself and the officeholder, who would have taken the courtroom to a better degree,” Roget mentioned, noting that whereas the commerce union motion won’t at all times agree with Thomas-Felix’s choices, it accepted them as a result of she was very skilled and had worldwide recognition.
Roget mentioned there can be “darkish days forward for the already poor industrial relations” within the nation, and the choice meant folks would once more lose confidence within the Industrial Court docket.
“We don’t suppose some other decide within the nation or the tribunal can substitute her. We can not now determine any sitting decide within the courts or the federal government with that have and stature.
“She introduced a collaborative method to the courtroom that had totally different stakeholders hear and to an incredible extent comply in areas the place they disagreed, however nonetheless revered her choice.”
He mentioned consideration could not have been taken of a number of issues, together with Trinidad and Tobago’s industrial peace and stability, which might result in elevated productiveness, which was desperately wanted.”
NATUC common secretary Michael Annisette mentioned the problem was whether or not or not the President of the Industrial Court docket, who has served for 11 years, must be diminished to “a phone name two days earlier than the expiry of a contract, advising that your contract is now not legitimate after the expiry date.”
He known as on the President and Chief Justice to publicly justify their choice, which he known as a travesty of justice.
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