Industrial Court president to serve on IMF tribunal

President of the Industrial Court of TT Deborah Thomas-Felix will be joining with judges from across the globe to form the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Administrative Tribunal according to a release from the Industrial Court on Sunday.

Thomas-Felix who presided over the case between members of the Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) and the now defunct Petrotrin in 2018, was appointed to the tribunal on March 1.

She will be joining with judges from South Africa, the US, Spain and Lebanon to make up the tribunal which has responsibilities in resolving employment disputes between the IMF and their employees, the release stated.

Thomas-Felix is expected to complete her predecessor’s term from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021, after which she is eligible for reappointment for up to three full terms.

As a member of the tribunal, she is required to travel twice a year, to the IMF’s headquarters in Washington, DC to adjudicate on disputes.

Thomas-Felix currently serves as a member of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations since 2015, where she and 19 other jurists monitor the application of labour standards to the IMF's 189 member countries.

She is no stranger to international policy as the release stated she haschaired the first high-level seminar on International Administrative Tribunals at the European Public Law Organisation in Greece and has provided technical assistance and advice to governments in the Caribbean region on employment-related matters.

Thomas-Felix is the holder of a bachelor of laws degree, holds a masters of law degree in international legal studies and an executive masters in business administration. She is also certified in international arbitration in oil and gas cases. She is among seventy of the most distinguished alumni to be honoured for outstanding leadership in the Caribbean by the University of the West Indies and she is also a published author.