THIRTEEN former employees of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) are set to receive $4.3 million in compensation following a ruling by the Industrial Court in a trade dispute brought by the Advocate Trade Union (ATU).

The court ruled on April 30 that the workers, whose contracts were terminated after a change in THA administration in 2022, should be paid for unused vacation leave, the remainder of their contracts, and pro-rated gratuity. The court said gratuity should only cover the time actually worked. The total was calculated at $4,316,510.61

The affected employees held positions such as field partnership officers, investigation and assessment officers, and a business operations assistant. Most were let go in March 2022, with one employee, Dion Winchester, receiving notice in April 2022.