An in depth discussion on the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on industrial relations and global labour markets was the focus of the 2023 “Meet the Court” Symposium held in Port of Spain on 10th June 2023.
Hosted by the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago, the event brought together judges, attorneys, industrial relations practitioners, social partners and other key stakeholders from Trinidad and Tobago, other Caribbean countries and Nigeria to identify opportunities and challenges industrial relations in the post-pandemic era.
“Post-pandemic, there are several converging trends which have profound impacts on all aspects of work, this, of course, has implications for employees, unions, businesses and society in general,” said Her Honour Ms. Deborah Thomas-Felix, President of the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago.
Among the main issues explored during the Symposium was telework, a modality of work which has gained more attention, and which started being practiced more due to the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work.
Mr. Shingo Miyake, Labour Law and International Standards Specialist of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, led a session on the topic. His presentation provided an overview of the effects of telework on labour administration and legislation, as well as on workers’ and employers’ organizations. He also highlighted legal issues related to telework. Following the presentation, participants were encouraged to share their perspectives.
"The participants asked more questions about my presentation than my other ones done in previous years. This demonstrates that teleworking was very much part of the working life of people during the pandemic. It also shows that there remains many legal and probably more practical questions. We have much work ahead on this issue," said Shingo Miyake.
Earlier this year, the ILO released a global report titled ‘Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World’, which includes an overview of working time-related crisis response measures deployed by governments and enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as work sharing or short-time work and home-based telework, which helped to keep organizations functioning and workers employed. It also includes key findings and policy implications for addressing work-life balance that benefit both workers and employers. To access the report and other related resources, please visit the ILO’s website. On teleworking specifically, the ILO published a report ‘Teleworking arrangements during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.’
