Hilary Robertson-Hickling
THE SIGNING of the recent Memorandum of Understanding and the recent strikes which were threatened underscore a serious challenge for the labour movement in Jamaica. While organisations across the world are moving offshore, downsizing, creating contingency contracts, automating their processes many of our labour leaders are operating in the past. Like their counterparts in management they must be engaged in developing a competitive workforce in these days of brutal global competition.
At this moment in our history, management and labour must develop a consensus or we will be sure to perish as the giants of India and China arise and the Asian tigers roar and their economies grow. Our national economy continues to grow at negligible rates, productivity is low and we seem to be involved in a perpetual struggle with ourselves.
WORKERS CAN BE IMPORTED
While the urban transit system is losing millions of dollars, while the parts are stolen the employees demand higher wages. Do we remember what happened after the recent transit strike in New York? The outcome was not in favour of the workers and the consumers were very angry. Do the workers at the American Embassy realise that workers could be imported to complete the job?
While Jamaica's early political development was closely aligned to trade union development, the present situation requires a new level of collaboration and understanding between the unions andthe public and private sector. I have seen sectors in the economy die, companies close or relocate and leave the employees stranded. Neither our politicians nor our trade unionists have been very successful in creating and sustaining the jobs which are desperately needed.
Increasingly, we must depend on the private sector which has its faults but is the main engine of growth in the economy. As a small business owner I am well aware of the challenge of sustaining an enterprise in this country. It is not easy as all the aspects of underdevelopment highlighted in the doing business in Jamaica Report identify.
LION-HEARTED EMPLOYEES
Entrepreneurs have to be lion-hearted, battling high interest rates, bureaucratic delays, difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified staff, collecting payments and extortion. I hope that the recently announced Labour Studies Programme at the UWI will address some of these issues. We have to move beyond the adversarial relationships which currently bedevil industrial relations in Jamaica and develop the equivalent of Japan Incorporated, Jamaica Limited. Let it be known that all the goods and services that we produce can be produced by many other countries. No more protectionism in Europe for our agricultural products, all of the goods and services have to meet international standards and compete.
We have to be committed to continuous improvement of ourselves and our human resources, technology, marketing and productive inputs. The consumer has many choices as our telecommunications industry players now realise as people move from one supplier to another. New work arrangements like telemarketing are coming on stream, we just have to learn to work together. The role played by unions in the 19th and 20th centuries must be applauded but this is 2006 and they have to develop new roles.
Hilary Robertson-Hickling is a lecturer in the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Mona.
