(Trinidad Express) The Industrial Court has ruled for the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) and has issued an injunction restraining Petrotrin from terminating its workers.
Attorneys for the OWTU successfully argued that the retrenchment of workers should be stopped pending the hearing of a complaint that the company had not been “meeting and treating” in good faith.
The Court also ruled that Petrotrin be restrained from making any offers to its employees, at least 300 of whom reportedly accepted their severance packages over the weekend and into yesterday.
As of 4pm, lawyers were still arguing the matter, with Reginald Armour, SC, the attorney for Petrotrin, informing the court that there would be a swift appeal to the ruling on the grounds that the Industrial Court has no power to grant injunctive relief on what is an Industrial Relations complaint.
Armour made legal submissions seeking to have the court issue a stay of the injunction. However, shortly before 5pm, the Court ruled against a stay. Therefore the injunction has been enforced.