Originally published in the Sunday Guardian (July 22nd) by a Guest Author and was republished by the Energy Chamber
To be successful, timing is everything. People and nations succeed by doing the right thing at the right time. Do the wrong thing, or get your timing wrong, and you are doomed to fail.
The time is right for Trinidad and Tobago to move away from its confrontational, damaging and wasteful industrial relations culture. More than that, the time is critical. If we don’t fix this now – especially as we can no longer count on the easy money flowing out of our oil and gas fields – we face a difficult, painful and potentially irreversible decline.
Without changes, from the Caribbean’s powerhouse, Trinidad and Tobago risks becoming its number one idler, consumed by ever more bizarre labour rethoric and steep drops in productivity.
Many see how critical this matter is, whilst others pretend that we are still in 1937, fighting old ghosts, whipping up anger and confrontation instead of level-headed dialogue.
On the same Labour Day the likes of Mr Ancil Roget were again spewing vitriol against anyone that doesn’t agree with them, it was heartening to see President Paula-Mae Weekes asking citizens to do their part ‘in forging an environment that is conductive to productivity and development”.
She went on to nail it on the head by asking today’s leaders to deal with today’s challenges, not 1937’s. We ought to acknowledge what was achieved by labour leaders such as Uriah Butler in the very different circumstances of the colonial era, but, quite frankly, we must also move on. And fast.
Without change, current union leaders not only fail to help make T&T a better place for all but also fail their own membership by pretending that, in a highly competitive and globalised economy, their trademark shouting and threatening behaviour can achieve much.
In just over two years – right as revenue from the energy sector dropped dramatically - this country lost its only steel plant, it lost the manufacturing of the Angelin platform to Mexico and, if not careful, it will do more damage to its industrial base by effectively destroying Petrotrin and tempting others to close down or move out. Some of this can be attributed to global circumstances but a lot can be attributed to T&T’s at times intractable labour relations, outdated labour laws and an Industrial Court increasingly detached from reality.
That’s why it is no surprise that in the most recent World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, Trinidad and Tobago is only beaten by South Africa as the country with the worst level of cooperation in labour-employer relations amongst the 137 nations surveyed. In other words, T&T labour relations’ reputation is even more dire than the reputation of countries like Haiti or Lesotho, to name a few.
When all is taken into consideration, our position is slightly better – at 85th place – but still with some shocking, if not simply shameful evaluation of our country. Of the top five most problematic factors for doing business in T&T, the survey ranks poor work ethic in the workforce as number one, followed by government bureaucracy, corruption, foreign currency regulations, and crime and theft. Hardly the kind of thing to make us proud of our people and our land. Similar warnings are also coming from the World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank and specialists in T&T itself.
In reality, none of this is new to most people. We talk about our failings as we lime. Earlier this year we’ve heard the President’s inaugural speech touching these very same topics. And we see the mess we are in as we get on with our daily chores. The problem is that the country seems to have collectively resigned itself to this appalling status quo, to unacceptable behaviours and to no apparent care for what we are doing to future generations.
Getting labour relations right, though, can fix many of our ills. We become more productive, bad and criminal behaviour is no longer accepted in the workplace (including the public sector), pay based on performance and quality – not just for hanging on and barely turning up – is a powerful incentive towards a better work ethic, a fairer and more open industrial dispute framework avoids waste and unnecessary confrontation and, yes, effective regulation where it is needed helps protect the workforce from real – not made up – threats (and levels the playing field for responsible employers).
Speaking up about these matters raises fear. The bullying tactics of our union leaders are well known (both in public and behind closed doors). And there’s always fear of retribution by the Industrial Court. But it is time to speak up. And we will.
From today the T&T Guardian will bring a weekly column to look at the state of industrial relations in the country and to discuss solutions to our challenges. It is right to still have boundless faith in our destiny. Our job now is to turn this faith into actual deeds.