Chairman of the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) Mr Justice Christopher Blackman carries a significant load on his shoulders as the lead arbiter of disputes involving the cases of unfair dismissal of workers in this country.Justice Blackman, who enjoyed an impressive career as a jurist on the local Appeals Court bench before his retirement, has been an important advocate, not only for workers who have sought justice from this quasi-judicial body, but he has also pushed for the strengthening of the institution itself.The ERT chairman has been consistent in his rulings, which have often gone against wayward employers. There have also been cases in which employees were told there was no merit to their claims.He has advised repeatedly that employers should simply follow the law and give workers due process before seeking to be punitive in the handling of infractions and other disputes.In a November 2019 address to the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC) Justice Blackman lamented that employers were too quick to fire workers without due process and in flagrant violation of the law, thus leading to them being ordered to make large compensation payouts to workers for unfair dismissal.
