Employment
The Industrial Court and the standard of good industrial relations practice
Trinidad and Tobago is distinctive in the region for the Industrial Court, a superior court of record established under the Industrial Relations Act 1972, which decides dismissal and trade dispute matters by reference to the principles of good industrial relations practice rather than strict contract law. Access is ordinarily through a recognised trade union reporting a dispute, following conciliation by the Ministry of Labour. The Minimum Wages Act and the Maternity Protection Act set statutory floors.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Industrial Court for trade disputes; High Court for contractual claims
- Deadline — Trade dispute: reported to the Minister within six months of the issue arising
- Deadline — Referral to the Industrial Court: follows unsuccessful conciliation
- Deadline — Retrenchment: 45 days' formal notice to the Minister and the union where five or more workers are affected
Governing law
- Industrial Relations Act 1972
- Minimum Wages Act, Chap. 88:04
- Maternity Protection Act 1998
- Occupational Safety and Health Act 2004
In practice
The six-month reporting limit is the practical gateway, and because it runs from when the dispute arose rather than from any decision letter, delay in involving the union is fatal more often than a weak case is. The Industrial Court can order reinstatement and compensation on equity and good conscience grounds, so outcomes can exceed what a common-law wrongful dismissal claim would yield.