The Tobago House of Assembly is appealing a recent Industrial Court ruling that the THA had to pay over $3 million to 13 contract employees who were fired after the 2021 elections. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine spoke to TV6'S Elizabeth Williams.
00:00The Tobago House Assembly since last week when it learned of the judgment begun the appeal process
00:07as we are confident that the lower courts got it wrong and so this matter is far from finished.
00:15The ruling delivered since April 30th found determinations were unfair, unlawful and likely politically motivated.
00:22The court ordered the THA to compensate the workers for all outstanding vacation leave, prorated gratuity and the full value of what was left on their contracts,
00:34a final court order to follow next month. Minority leader Kelvin Morris said the PNM feels vindicated.
00:40And I think the Tobago is too small, too small for us to be conducting the affairs of Ireland in such a vicious and wicked kind of manner.
00:55And therefore I see this as vindication for the employees in the first instance because I know personally the mental,
01:04the economical, the emotional distress that these persons had to endure.
01:15PNM Tobago Council political leader Ansel Dennis told the TV6 News it was a clear case of political victimization by the Farley-Augustin-led administration.
01:24Because we have said from the very beginning that the THA not only operated in bad faith but operated with wickedness and with vindictiveness towards these workers.
01:40It is a clear-cut case of victimization, political victimization of the worst kind and I expect similar judgments to follow.
01:49The 13 workers had been employed with the THA's Community Partnership Unit CPU since 2009 but on March 31st, 2022 were served dismissal letters.
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