CATHERINE RAMNARINE

Partner

BAR ADMISSIONS

2006: Trinidad & Tobago

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Employment and Labour Law
Personal Injury
Commercial Debt Collection
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments
Insurance Litigations
General Commercial Litigation
Construction

PROFILE

Catherine joined the firm in September 2006. One of the primary focuses of her current practice is labour and employment law. She has significant knowledge and practical experience in this area including industrial relations disputes, termination, discrimination and employee injury claims. She also maintains a significant practice in personal injury litigation, insurance disputes, civil and commercial litigation, debt collection, enforcement of foreign judgments and construction disputes.

CURRENT INVOLVEMENT

Helping clients to manage labour and employment issues, including issues relating to:
- Recruitment – data protection, privacy and discrimination
- Drafting employment contracts
- Managing employee benefits and entitlements – overtime, injury and sick leave, maternity leave, health and safety requirements, implementing changes to the terms and conditions of employment, interpreting Collective Agreements
- Performance management – attendance, punctuality, poor performance
- Promotions
- Disciplinary investigations and hearings
- Redundancy and retrenchment
- Transfers of business

Advising and representing clients in alternative dispute resolution processes including negotiation, mediation, judicial settlement conferencing and conciliation (including conciliation at the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Court and Equal Opportunity Commission)
Drafting Court documents including Pleadings, Evidence and Arguments, Applications, Affidavits, Witness Statements, Skeleton Arguments and Submissions.
Practicing as Second Chair/Instructing Attorney and First Chair/Advocate in matters before the Industrial Court, High Court and Court of Appeal
Helping clients to proactively and preemptively manage potential disputes and claims

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

“The New National Minimum Wage” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, January 25, 2024
“Employment laws: Frequently asked questions” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, September 3, 2023
“Recent Trends in Climate Litigation” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, August 20, 2023
“Limitation periods under the OSH Act” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, June 11, 2023
“Defamation in The Digital Age” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, October 30, 2022
“On the grounds of sex: Court of Appeal paves the way for workplace sexual harassments claims” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, July 17, 2022
“Maternity protection in the workplace” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, May 8, 2022
“Disabilities in the workplace” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, January 23, 2022
“Managing marijuana in the workplace” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, October 24, 2021
“Covid-19 Vaccines in the Workplace: A Second Jab”; featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper, August 1, 2021
“Workplace health and safety – Laws all employers should know“, T&T Guardian newspaper, May 23, 2021;
“Pranks In The Workplace”, T&T Guardian newspaper, March 28, 2021;
Covid-19 vaccines in the workplaces: Can Employers Make Them Mandatory?, T&T Guardian newspaper, February 28, 2021;
“Guava Season-Challenges and opportunities in the agriculture industry“, T&T Guardian newspaper, October 25, 2020;
“Cancelled? Social Media and Employee Discipline“, T&T Guardian newspaper, August 2, 2020;
“Working From Home After Covid-19: What employers need to know”, T&T Guardian newspaper, June 7, 2020;
“On the Breadline – Payments Due to Employees Upon the Termination of Employment“, Business Guardian, January 9, 2020.
Can You Sue Over A Bad Review? Business Guardian, 2 February, 2020.
Why your business needs a vacation leave policy? Business Guardian 7 July 2019
Testing the Boundaries – Discrimination and the Right To Refuse Service, Business Guardian 26 May 2019
Social Media and Litigation-Somebody’s watching you Business Guardian, April 9, 2019.
Managing Carnival’s Impact On Your Workplace, Business Guardian, February 14, 2019.
Managing Poor Performance Under the Industrial Court Regime, Special Edition Forum, June 2018
The Highs and Lows of Marijuana Legislation – What could it mean for business? Hamel-Smith Forum Vol. 10, Issue 3, January 2018
Whose Employee Is It? – Liability Under a “Labour Only” Contract Hamel-Smith Forum Vol. 10 Issue 2, September 2017
Business Closures and Severance, Business Guardian 14^th April 2016
Managing Workforce Reductions, AMCHAM Linkage Volume 1/2016
Too Much Information: The Risks of Using Social Media to Screen Recruits, Hamel-Smith Forum Volume 9/Issue 3
Not Your Employee? You May Still be Liable for His Injury, Hamel-Smith Forum Vol. 8, Issue 6
Emerging Discrimination Claims Under the Equal Opportunity Act: What Employers Need to Know, Hamel-Smith Forum Vol. 7, Issue 5
Industrial Court Makes Its First Ruling Under OSHA, AMCHAM Linkage, Vol 3/2010

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

The Law Association of Trinidad & Tobago

The Trinidad & Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

Speaker at the AMCHAM T&T 26th Annual HSSE Conference & Exhibition “Re-Imagine HSSE”; on the topic “Workplace Health & Safety – The Laws All Employers Should Know” – November 2, 2022
Hamel-Smith webinar focused on “Getting Back to Business”. – May 22, 2020
Webinar on Navigating HR & IR Issues During the Pandemic – AMCHAM T&T – 28th April 2020
One day training workshop on Employment Law Fundamentals-Employers Rights and Responsibilities – T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Tobago Division – March 10, 2020
Health and Safety At Work, Director and CEO Liability – 23rd Annual AMCHAM T&T HSSE Conference and Exhibition – 23rd October 2019
Panelist on the Draft National Policy on Sexual Harassment – T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce – September 8, 2018
One day training workshop on Employment Law Fundamentals-Employers Rights and Responsibilities – T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce – March 28, 2018

EDUCATION

2008: Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop

2006: L.E.C. (Hugh Wooding Law School)

2004: LL.B (Hons.) University of the West Indies

BAR ADMISSIONS

2006: Trinidad & Tobago

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Employment and Labour Law
Personal Injury
Commercial Debt Collection
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments
Insurance Litigations
General Commercial Litigation
Construction