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  • 8 months ago
On the occasion of the Industrial Court's 60th Anniversary Service, Archbishop Jason Gordon is calling on the government to make justice a priority, including justice for workers. Meantime, the President of the Industrial Court took the opportunity to make an appeal for refurbishments and upgrades. Rynessa Cutting has more.
Transcript
00:00Archbishop Jason Gordon believes at the core of TNT's challenges is a lack of true justice.
00:07We have an amazing country, innovative people, world class in so many ways.
00:14Our current struggle in the nation at this moment is about justice at every level of the society.
00:23The Archbishop diverted from the norm of citing Bible scriptures today,
00:28opting instead to pull a reference from popular television show Gotham.
00:33You really started something. All these crooked cops running scared, mob bosses left the country
00:40and there's nothing else but hope on our streets.
00:44Batman says but, and Jim says what about escalation?
00:50Batman says escalation, and Jim says we start carrying semi-automatics,
00:57they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.
01:04What about escalation? How do we ensure justice as harmony for the whole of our society?
01:14The Archbishop did not point fingers at any one person or entity for the alleged scourge of injustice in our land,
01:21but he did call for those charged with ensuring justice to do better.
01:26In TNT, some employers perceive the court as biased towards labor,
01:31and that led them to circumvent traditional employment structures by hiring contract workers instead.
01:39It is based on the principle of distributed justice, which seeks a fair allocation of resource within a society.
01:50Without a just wage, economic disparity widen, leading to social fragmentation and ultimately to unrest.
01:59The mission of the industrial court is to uphold the principles and practices of good industrial relations,
02:06but Archbishop Jason Gordon believes the mission statement could benefit from an addition.
02:12Saving the common good. When I read your mission, it doesn't tell me who you serve.
02:21And who must always be served is the common good, which is that delicate balance within Trinidad and Tobago,
02:28where justice is achieved, and it's always difficult to find that sweet spot.
02:34Without a clear sense of saving the common good,
02:38each judge is allowed to view each individual case from the perspective or ideology that they have,
02:45either pro-labor or pro-employer.
02:49Meantime, Industrial Court President Heather Seale had only praises for the work of the Industrial Court
02:55on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.
02:58It began with five members, and in its first year, April 29, 1965 to April 28, 1966, 49 matters were filed.
03:12Today, the court is comprised of 24 members, and between 800 to 1,000 matters are now filed annually.
03:23She took the opportunity to make the following appeal.
03:26The court has been in its current location since 1997, and it is now in urgent need of repair, refurbishment, and some expansion.
03:39May our prayer be heard so that we will not be left crying in the wilderness like John the Baptist.
03:47In attendance today were the President, the Prime Minister, the Attorney General, and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
03:55Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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