00:00President of the Industrial Court Heather Seal did not hold back today as she pled the case of judges at
00:07the court who appear to be facing very similar struggles as the workers who appear before them.
00:13The long-established practice at the court has been to pay judges who qualify the gratuity owed to them after
00:22the expiration of each completed term of office. Judges who continue to serve after qualifying for a pension will also
00:31pay a gratuity for their service thereafter for each completed term.
00:37Not only has there been a delay in payment, but further, there has been no official communication to the registrar
00:45or to the judges regarding the reason or reasons for such delay, in spite of repeated inquiries. We urge the
00:54competent authorities to address this matter urgently.
00:57And that's not all. According to the President, benefits have also not been forthcoming.
01:03Judges are entitled to certain benefits payable annually, such as the travel grant. Therefore, if the court is unable to
01:14pay judges their annual entitlement as set out in their terms and conditions of service, a question may well arise
01:22as to whether the court is running afoul of Section 5.3.
01:26Ms. Seale did not indicate how long the non-payment of those particulars has been an issue, instead choosing to
01:34advocate for legislative changes.
01:36Perhaps the time has come for a comprehensive review of the regulations, the pensions regulations relating to judges, among other
01:44things, to improve their clarity and also to provide enhanced benefits to members.
01:52Ms. Seale also made a case for greater funding and staffing at the court, citing a number of challenges.
01:59A public institution may be expected to deliver more responsive service with limited resources. Not unfamiliar.
02:07Nevertheless, she pointed out the industrial court continues to deliver.
02:12The court disposed of 104 matters, sorry, 1,014 matters in this year, 160 more than the 854 matters disposed
02:27of for the same period in 2024-2025.
02:31The clearance rate during the period 2025-2026 is 115.75%, which is 4.98 percentage points higher than the
02:44period 2024-2025, when the clearance rate was 110.77%.
02:51A clearance rate of around 100% or higher means the court is able to resolve at least as many
02:58cases as are filed.
02:59Meantime, with all pending special tribunal matters to be heard anew, after the previous chairman demitted office, the president of
03:08the industrial court is calling for urgent reform.
03:11It is my understanding that in the past, once a chairman demitted office, any matter in which there was a
03:19reserved judgment or was part heard would trigger a re-cohering.
03:25I consider this situation in need of urgent legislative attention.
03:30I see no good reason why matters in the special tribunal should be treated differently from those in the General
03:37Services Division and the Essential Services Division.
03:40When it comes to the remaining judges continuing the matter as provided for in Section 75 of the IRA.
03:49Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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