The Law of Labour and Employment Disputes in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has a very advanced system for the settlement of unresolved labour and employment disputes between employers and trade unions on behalf of workers by judicial process instead of by strike and lockout. The system has generated both condemnation and praise, but it remains nevertheless an acceptable workable method for the peaceful resolution of such disputes. The Law of Labour and Employment Disputes in Trinidad and Tobago provides an important assessment of this unique system and gives useful guidance on the operation of the Industrial Relations Act, Chap. 88:01 and the practice and procedures of the Industrial Court, a superior court of record, which is responsible for the adjudication of such disputes. The book gives an insight into the unsatisfactory industrial relations climate that existed prior to the implementation of the new system and discusses the multifarious provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, Chap. 88:01 and judgments of the Industrial Court on a variety of cases determined by it from 1965-2005. It contains chapters on the historical background to the introduction of legislation for the compulsory determination of unresolved labour and employment disputes, the beneficial effects of the legislation, the original defect in the Act concerning the power of the Industrial Court to make orders of reinstatement, the constitution, jurisdiction and powers of the Industrial Court, the provisions for recognition of trade unions as bargaining agents, collective bargaining and the binding nature of registered collective agreements, the constitution and jurisdiction of the Registration, Recognition and Certification Board, trade dispute procedures, disciplinary action, industrial action, offences and penalties, summary of relevant decisions of the Court of Appeal and a general appraisal of the system. Industrial Court judges, Legal practitioners, industrial relations consultants, trade unions, employers, workers and all others engaged in the complex and difficult tasks of settling industrial disputes will find this book of considerable assistance to them, since it is the only publication of its kind in existence.