By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister says higher wages must be matched by increased productivity from Bahamian workers.

Pia Glover-Rolle, minister of labour and the public service, told the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) National Conclave of Chambers of Commerce that business owners are generally willing to offer better pay and benefits if they see better performance and output from workers.

She said the Government is partnering with the National Tripartite Council (NTC) to find the right balance between raising wages and improving productivity. To support that effort, it has recently launched the National Productivity Task Force, which will eventually become a National Productivity Council - an organisation that will help drive productivity at a national level.

“When we call as employees for more money, we must call for more productivity as well. I'm sure as business owners we can say we don't mind rewarding with better benefits and better compensation packages when we see more productivity. So, we think that as a government, while we're working to bring employee salaries and compensation to a good place and livable place, we should also have the expectation that productivity is improved,” said Mrs Glover-Rolle.

“While we're working with the NTC to look at how we should increase wages, we also have to balance that with our focus on productivity. That is why, just two weeks ago, we launched the National Productivity Task Force, which will have a trajectory toward the National Productivity Council, of which BCCEC will play a significant role.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle also noted that the Bahamian workforce is lacking in soft skills - the basic professional habits and personal qualities that make employees effective and employable.

To address this issue, she said the Government is working to strengthen soft skills development through the National Training Agency (NTA) and other programmes to help individuals become better prepared for the workplace.

“When we look at our country in terms of the employability or the skills of our people, I touched on soft skills. Soft skills are the basics that we find so lacking in our national workforce, and that includes work ethic: Coming to work on time, dressing appropriately for work,” said Mrs Glover-Rolle.

“In my time, that was the standard. We learned those values through our high school and junior secondary education, but now there's a gap in our soft skills — work ethic, professional communication and emotional intelligence. We are seeing gaps there. So, the Government is working to assist with soft skills development for persons who are post-secondary and didn’t quite get it through our National Training Agency.”

During her presentation, Mrs Glover-Rolle also spoke on digitisation, highlighting that the move toward online, interconnected government services is key to improving the ease of doing business in The Bahamas.

“We understand that the interconnectivity of departments or ministries is important to you as a business community. You don’t want to have to drive from one ministry or department to another to take the same document that can easily be digitised and transferred,” said Mrs Glover-Rolle

“When it comes to digitisation, as a nation I think we’re moving in the right direction. We just need to move a little quicker, because in the world of technology, things change by the second.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle said strengthening the economy also means helping businesses become stronger and more efficient, and the Government’s digital transformation will create a more supportive environment for the private sector, ultimately benefiting the entire nation. 

“We should expect to see a number of positive changes in the Department of Labour, starting at home in the administrative public service, which affects all departments and agencies: Inland Revenue, Customs and, I want to say, in every government agency that interfaces with the public,” said Mrs Glover-Rolle.

“We realise that when we talk about improving and strengthening our economy, we have to help our business organisations to improve and strengthen as well, and that is always fiscally related. So, where there is efficiency, where there is speed with accuracy, and where there is accountability, that is how the Government is working through our digital transformation to positively affect the nation - especially our private sector.”