Trade union leaders have been encouraged to reconsider being a part of the National Tripartite Advisory Council, as Industrial Court President Deborah Thomas-Felix stresses the importance of government, employers and unions working together.

The call came during the opening of the 2022-2023 opening of the court on Monday. Thomas-Felix says the tripartite mechanism, which is embraced by countries worldwide, regardless of their legal system, is an extremely important and useful tool to assist with the resolution of the myriad issues in the world of work.

“Through this mechanism, representatives of workers, employers and the government each have an equal voice in decision making…Last year I said it is public knowledge that the National Confederation of Trade Unions has withdrawn from the National Tripartite Advisory Council for what they consider to be good reason. However, this is the time in our nation’s history where there is a need for the workforce to be guided by the decisions of the tripartite leaders,” she said.

The union bodies opted out of the NTAC in April 2021, saying their collective voices were being disregarded by government. 

NTAC was formed in 2016 to facilitate engagements, dialogue, and consultations with the private sector, labour movements and the government.