The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour will finally fulfil the 2010 Labour Code’s requirement to establish a Labour Arbitration Tribunal, Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering announced on Tuesday.

 

Paul Dennis, QC, who will chair the tribunal, said during a press conference that the arbitration body will soon be in full operation.

“We have a number of disputes already in the pipeline and ready to be adjudicated,” he said.

Mr. Dennis said the council will have all the power of a court, in that its decisions will be final and enforceable by law.

He said that the tribunal’s decisions can be appealed to the High Court only if the body makes a mistake interpreting the law.

The queen’s counsel added that he wanted to make one thing clear to the public: the Labour Arbitration Tribunal is not going to hear all disputes; rather, it’s a body to resolve complicated matters that can’t be handled by the Labour Department or Dr. Pickering.

Mr. Dennis explained the process that will be used to handle employer-employee disputes: First, the dispute will be brought to the labour commissioner’s attention; then, if he or she can’t settle it, it will be referred to the minister; finally, if the minister can’t reach a resolution, the matter will be referred to the tribunal.

Dr. Pickering, who is the minister of natural resources and labour, added that 80 percent of disputes are handled at the level of the Labour Department.

Asked what kind of cases the board will adjudicate, Mr. Dennis said it will handle any type of employer-employee dispute, but that the vast majority of cases likely will involve claims of wrongful or unfair dismissal.

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