ILO hosts knowledge exchange session on dispute resolution with The Bahamas and Grenada

An ILO-hosted meeting with the Industrial Tribunal of The Bahamas and the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs of Grenada has established an ongoing forum for both countries to share experiences in strengthening their dispute resolution systems.

Titled “Building an effective dispute resolution institution for improved access to labour justice”, the meeting was hosted virtually by the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean on the 11th March 2024. It featured the participation of Senator the Honourable Claudette Joseph, Attorney General of Grenada and Minister for Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs, as well as Her Honour, Mrs Indira Demeritte-Francis, President of The Industrial Tribunal of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Others in attendance included senior level labour officials as well as ILO experts.

Recognizing that dispute resolution institutions, mechanisms and processes vary across the Caribbean, the session served as an open dialogue on the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in both countries. During the discussions participants highlighted best practices and identified areas for improvement to achieve harmonious industrial relations and effective labour market governance.

“Strengthening and supporting labour dispute prevention and resolution institutions is an important priority for the ILO. We hope that this exchange will lead to further collaboration within the Caribbean region, on promoting and achieving social justice and decent work of which access to labour justice is a key dimension,” said Dr. Joni Musabayana, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, who delivered welcome remarks at the meeting.

An overview of dispute resolution mechanisms in Grenada by Senator the Honourable Claudette Joseph described some of the challenges the country is experiencing under its Labour Relations Act of 1999 and outlined the Government's plan for making improvements. “Our desired situation is a system that is quick, efficient, credible, reliable, consistent and transparent and enjoys the confidence of our stakeholders,” said the Honourable Minister.

A subsequent presentation and discussion on the Industrial Tribunal of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas by Her Honour, Mrs Indira Demeritte-Francis, provided key highlights on national judicial efforts to make decisions on employment disputes in essential and non-essential services within a reasonable timeframe. “We have done a considerable amount of to ensure that The Bahamas Industrial Tribunal is best positioned to serve its stakeholders. We also recognize that more work is needed to ensure that the objectives of the Decent Work Country Programme are fully realized in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean,” explained her Honour Demeritte-Francis. She also presented the Tribunal's digital transformation roadmap and explained how digitalization has improved the institution's efficiency and accessibility and reduced operational costs.

To close the session, Dr. Musabayana noted the Office's intention to organize a series of activities aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of dispute resolution systems and improving access to labour justice. He also recommended expanding the transfer of knowledge by learning from good practices in other countries and regions, as well as the provision of an ILO diagnostic tool for self-assessing the functioning of judicial and non-judicial institutions for dispute prevention and resolution.