ERT asked to intervene in dispute
Article by April 7, 2021
Head of Government’s COVID-19 Monitoring Unit Ronald Chapman has been placed before the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) for unfair dismissal.
However, the claim against Chapman by a former employee, is associated with his role as Managing Director of Argon Pest Control Incorporated, a private company located at Risk Road, Fitts Village, St James.
In a letter from the Labour Department dated February 9, 2021 and addressed to the Chairman of the Tribunal, Laurison Mayers, writing on behalf of the Acting Chief Labour Officer, the ERT was informed that on July 24, 2017, Shibbir Greenidge made a complaint to the department via his attorney Khamaal Collymore, that he was unfairly terminated on May 12, 2017.
April 1, 2021
The industrial dispute at the Barbados Community College (BCC) sparked by the termination of a maid has been resolved.
Ancillary staffers, who were off the job Wednesday in solidarity with their colleague, returned to duty following an emergency meeting between Chairperson of the BCC Velma Newton and Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Wayne Walrond.
Claiming the maid had been unjustly dismissed after four years of loyal stewardship and “satisfactory” performance, the NUPW had been demanding her reinstatement and immediate appointment to the post.
Walrond had accused the college of firing the worker based on an interview rather than measuring her on the performance she rendered during the past four years.
ERT rules against dismissed senior bank employee
Article by January 30, 2021
A former senior employee of a local commercial bank, who was caught at Grantley Adams International Airport with some $22,000 in United States foreign currency, has lost her claim for unfair dismissal from the financial institution.
The ruling was handed down today by the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) Chairman, retired High Court Justice Christopher Blackman in the unfair dismissal case brought by ex-sales supervisor Sonya Toppin against her former employer Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited.
Justice Blackman said the decision to throw out Toppin’s claim was based in part on her admission that she was about to fly to the United States with about US$20,000 in foreign currency for which she was not granted legal permission to carry, an act that constituted gross misconduct.
January 19, 2021
It may serve the leadership of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) well to begin paying greater attention to Senator Caswell Franklyn’s Unity Workers’ Union (UWU).
From our position in the public square, it appears that there is growing confidence in the fledgling UWU, and more specifically its leader, who has shown great tenacity and dogged commitment to the ideals of protecting the ordinary worker against exploitation by this island’s employers.
We would never argue that there is no place for an expanded number of trade unions. There is nothing wrong with choice. But after seven decades of stellar contributions to workers’ rights and empowerment, it is sad to witness the BWU’s apparent diminishing standing.
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Members of the Employment Rights Tribunal (from left) John Williams, chairman Christopher Blackman and Frederick Forde during yesterday’s sitting. (Pictures by Lennox Devonish.) Social Share
A former manager lost a claim before the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) yesterday that he was unfairly dismissed on reaching age 65, but he did not walk away empty-handed.
Norman Grant brought the action against the Barbados Beach Club for terminating his employment on October 30, 2017, ten days after he reached his 65th birthday.
Grant worked for the club from 1996 to 2009 when he resigned to take up other employment. In 2010, he was re-employed in the position of duty manager with a $5 000 a month salary on an oral contract.