Seven years after the Industrial Court ordered state-owned Petrotrin to halt staff terminations and voluntary separation (VSEP) offers pending resolution of a dispute brought by the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), the ruling has been overturned.

On June 27, Justices of Appeal Charmaine Pemberton, Malcolm Holdip, and Vasheist Kokaram delivered an oral judgment setting aside the Industrial Court's November 19, 2018, ruling, which had been issued by then-President Deborah Thomas-Felix.

The Court of Appeal found that the Industrial Court had erred in its interpretation of the Industrial Relations Act.