NATIONAL Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) general secretary J. Solomon has accused some high-ranking officers in the Human Resources Ministry of “interfering and denying justice” in trade dispute cases.

He claimed in a press release highlighted by Makkal Osai that the officers had acted as accomplices in dismissing complaints by employees in the banking industry.

Solomon said that under the Industrial Relations Act, the ministry must refer any trade dispute or unfair dismissal case to the Industrial Court to avoid clogging up the civil courts.

He claimed that this denial of justice was a “planned and calculated” move to discourage workers from seeking redress because it would be too costly for them, particularly since they had just been dismissed.

He said he believed employers were using this ploy to “deplete the coffers and weaken trade unions”.