By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

INDUSTRIAL Tribunal President Indira Demeritte-Francis said the body concluded 68 percent of the cases filed during 2023 and 2024, unveiling a two-year statistical report that charts rising referrals, heavier caseloads, and sustained judicial productivity.

She presented the figures yesterday as the tribunal opened its legal year. Because no special sitting was held in November 2024, the tribunal did not issue annual reports for the previous two years. The combined report therefore offers a full account of its workload, performance, and institutional growth across both periods.

In 2023, the tribunal received 258 certificates of referral — 149 in New Providence and 109 in the northern region — and managed 145 cases. Judges disposed of 228 matters that year.

Referrals climbed to 270 in 2024, with 186 in New Providence and 84 in the northern region. The tribunal managed 133 cases and recorded 131 disposals.

“The statistics for the two years reveal a clear trajectory of productivity and improvement,” the president said. “A total of 528 certificates of referrals were filed during the period under review. Of these, the tribunal disposed of a total of 359 matters, while an additional 278 cases were actively managed within the same timeframe, demonstrating continued progress in case resolution and administrative efficiency.”

She later added: “The combined statistics indicate that 68 percent of the matters filed were concluded. This reflects a positive trend of maintaining productivity and judicial efficiency over the review period, reflecting consistent judicial oversight and a sustained commitment to prevent backlogs and enhancing productivity within the tribunal's operation.”

Ms Demeritte-Francis said the tribunal’s judicial complement has grown sharply over the past decade, expanding from two to six substantive judge appointments. She said that growth reflects a parallel rise in employment-related disputes and a more active, complex labour market.

“This may be attributed to several factors; an expanding workforce, heightened awareness of employee rights, increased regulatory oversight, and broader shifts in employment, including the growth of fixed term contracts, redundancies and digital and non traditional forms of work,” she said.

“These changes have necessitated greater judicial oversight in industrial relations, and have placed increased demands on the industrial tribunal's capacity to deliver timely, reasoned decisions.”

She said the tribunal’s expansion underscores a wider national reliance on formal adjudication to settle workplace disputes, reinforcing its role as an accessible, credible forum for enforcing labour rights and supporting productivity and social stability.