Productivity, efficiency must be reviewed

MEMBER of Parliament for Christ Church South John Boyce says the whole question of productivity and efficiency must be revisited in Barbados.

 

His comments came in the Lower Chamber during his contribution to the Holiday With Pay Bill 2017 and the Labour Department Amendment Bill yesterday.

 

According to Boyce, “We really need to recognise how important it is that we apply efficiencies to the work that we do. The last couple of surveys would not have made any of us proud, whether in private sector or public sector.”

 

Noting that many Government Ministers would have come from a private sector background and would have their own definitions of productivity, he said there is no question that this issue must be revisited.

 

The Leader of Government Business also drew attention to the distribution of holidays in the workplace, which if not done correctly could have a negative impact on an organisation.

 

“I think the ‘chopping and changing’ of holidays and the apportioning of holidays has been a major consideration in the public sector, and the way that we allow persons to take a day here and a day there. You may be working on a project and then two or three operatives are not there with you for two days. And there are delays. And if these leaves are not arranged simultaneously they can be extended in their impact.”

 

“These are important considerations, which although all of us have personal needs to fill, we still have to be mindful of how that execution occurs. That is where leadership in these sectors is so important, and you know my view is that leadership exists at all levels of the organisation,” he said.

“When we create levels of leadership, deputy managers, supervisors...it is because we recognise that at every stage of leadership there needs to be that measurement and that accountability. These are the kind of messages which more and more need to share with our employees, we need to share with our unions.”

 

He said this is critically important since in recent years, the negotiating between union representatives and employees has been brought into the spotlight by some commentators.

 

“As this Act contemplates we want to create an employment in which persons who participate employer, employee and union representative can do so with a level of confidence that can bring about the very important results we contemplate. So sometimes we may not shout ... but there are those casual observers who thankfully share our media and help to bring an evenness in terms of the commentary on how these negotiations are being carried out. This is a very important fact. And it is something as a mature nation we must always hold in front of us,” he said. (JH)