STATEMENT FOR THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY BY THE DEPUTY PREMIER AND

MINISTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND LABOUR,

DR. THE HON. KEDRICK D. PICKERING

ON THE LABOUR DISPUTE TRIBUNAL

OCTOBER 14, 2013

Madam Speaker, for a few months now, we have been making every effort to put in

place a Labour Dispute Tribunal as mandated by the Labour Code 2010. We have the

commitment of a local attorney at law, who possesses the requisite experience and

qualifications as delineated in the Labour Code 2010, to serve as the chairman. The

Ministry, where the secretariat will reside, has been in continuous dialogue with the

International Labour Organization (ILO) Sub-Regional Office based in Trinidad and

Tobago to ensure that we get this up and running.

Madam Speaker, earlier this year the ILO Sub-Regional Officer communicated to us

that they had arranged for the President of the Industrial Court in Trinidad and Tobago

to visit the Territory and conduct training with the Ministry and Labour Department. This

visit was scheduled for July, but was postponed due to circumstances which prevented

the President from travelling. Since the Labour Dispute Tribunal is critical to the

enhanced industrial relationship in the Territory between employers and employees we

have decided to make arrangements to go to Trinidad and Tobago, while we wait on

word as to when the president of the Industrial Court will be able to visit the Territory.

This proposed trip to Trinidad and Tobago is tentatively scheduled to take place in

November of this year.

Madam Speaker, we have been at this for a long time, and we acknowledge that;

however, it must be appreciated that to put the Labour Dispute Tribunal in place without

proper guidance from the ILO is not wise. The decisions rendered by this body are

final, and as a result, the importance of getting it set up and functioning correctly cannot

be overstated. Therefore, we ask for your indulgence for just a little while longer as we

work through the issues that have stymied our progress. At this time, Madam Speaker,

we offer to this Honourable House and the people of this Territory our sincere apology

as we had expected that the Labour Dispute Tribunal would have been by now

operational. The expertise regarding case management and the like does not reside in

the Labour Department nor does it reside in the Ministry. Hence, this is the reason why

we turned to the ILO Sub-Regional Office for assistance. Madam Speaker, we assure

you, the Members of this Honourable House and the people of this Territory, that we are

committed to this process and eventually setting in place the Labour Dispute Tribunal.