This week, the island launched its 2025–2030 Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), a collaboration between the government and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), with lofty ambitions to strengthen labour market institutions, promote sustainable enterprises, and ensure inclusive employment policies.
Minister of Labour Colin Jordan described the programme as a “critical pillar” of national development. The promises are strong, and the vision commendable. Yet there is an uncomfortable disconnect between the aspirations being put forward and the reality facing workers who have been denied one of the most basic employment rights: access to justice.
As the government celebrates this new phase of labour reform, the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT), the very body charged with adjudicating employment disputes and protecting the rights of workers, remains virtually non-functional. This contradiction threatens to undermine the credibility of the worthy ambitions of the DWCP before its implementation has even begun.
The ERT, created under the Employment Rights Act of 2012, was intended to be the primary mechanism for addressing unfair dismissal and other breaches of employment law. Yet for months, and in some cases years, the Tribunal has either been inactive, under-resourced, or unable to function efficiently.
Scores of employees have filed claims in good faith, only to find their matters trapped in a bureaucratic limbo, without timelines, outcomes, or even basic communication. For many, justice delayed has simply meant justice denied.
This state of paralysis is not merely an excessive administrative delay. It speaks to something deeper: an embarrassing lack of urgency in protecting the very rights that the Decent Work framework prioritises. Workers who have been terminated unfairly, and the list of unresolved matters in a choked system, often suffer not only financial hardship but psychological distress, reputational damage, and long-term career disruption. For those individuals, the noble phrases in the DWCP — about “resilience”, “inclusive development”, and “robust labour administration” — may ring hollow.
The minister emphasised that “production and protection must go together”, arguing that economic development and worker welfare are not opposing goals. That statement is fundamentally true — but it must be matched by action within the ERT. A non-functioning Tribunal suggests to workers that in practice, protection may not be a front-burner issue. We cannot talk about decent work in Barbados while workers are left without recourse to defend their rights when those rights are trampled. Just as the government is working to flatten the pile of unadjudicated criminal cases, it cannot ignore the growing mountain of matters still awaiting action in the ERT.
What is perhaps most disappointing is that the situation is not new. The issue of a dormant or understaffed Tribunal has been raised repeatedly by some trade unionists, civil society advocates, legal professionals and former ERT officials for years.
Promises have been made, timelines given, and yet the core problem remains unresolved. Meanwhile, employers — knowing that the Tribunal is inactive — have little reason to fear consequences for unfair labour practices. The message this sends is that workers in Barbados can be wronged without remedy, at least for an excessively long period.
The DWCP identifies four key priorities: integrated policy-making, employment and enterprise sustainability, effective labour administration, and strong social dialogue. These are worthwhile and necessary pillars. But none of them will be achievable unless the fundamental architecture of labour justice is repaired. The Tribunal must not only be reactivated — it must be modernised, adequately funded, and supported with the legal and human resources necessary to function efficiently and transparently.
This is not just a matter for the Ministry of Labour. The social partners — labour, corporate Barbados, and civil society — must insist that the Tribunal’s full restoration should be a priority. Without it, the rest of the DWCP risks becoming window dressing or a technical document full of goals.
Stakeholders have been invited to hold the government accountable and have described the DWCP as a shared responsibility. That process should begin with confronting uncomfortable truths. Among those truths is: for Barbados to speak credibly about decent work, it must prioritise employment justice.
The Decent Work Country Programme is a promising blueprint. The best companion to this programme is a fully functioning Employment Rights Tribunal — with justice at the foundation of decent work.
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