Understanding the Employment Act 2001:
Implications for Competitiveness and Productivity of Bahamian Firms

The Bahamas Employers Confederation will be holding a half day workshop on Tuesday, November 20th on "Understanding the Employment Act 2001: Implications for Competitiveness and Productivity of Bahamian Firms."

Dr. Charles Cambridge who is internationally recognized in the field of productivity management will be facilitating this workshop. Professor Cambridge has worked with a wide array of private sector, public sector and international organizations in over thirty-five countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

       Objectives of the Workshop:
1.  To provide Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers and General Managers of organizations in the Bahamas with the perspectives necessary in formulating firm specific productivity and human resource management strategies within the framework of the proposed Employment Act 2001. Workshop participants will be provided with a comparative overview of how the Employment Act relates to, and compares with industrial relations systems of selected countries and how such comparisons affect the competitiveness and attractiveness of the future Bahamas Industrial Relations System once the Employment Act is passed into law.

2.  To highlight the role of Productivity Improvement and Training through Labor/Management Cooperation as the basis of creating a competitive advantage for Bahamian firms and enterprises. Participants will be provided with exposure to the method of Interest Based Problem Solving Negotiations as the basis of developing a new industrial relationship between employers and unions for increased productivity and firm and enterprise competitiveness in the Bahamas.

3.  To highlight the emerging strategic responses of firms and enterprises to changes in the legal environment of industrial relations systems which call for labor market flexibility without undermining the security of their workers. Participants will be provided with a Human Resource Management Systems Template that would permit them to assess the effectiveness of their current human resource management systems as well as to design improvements flowing from international best practices with the view to the improvement of firm productivity and profitability.

4.  To expose participants to the new trends in Labour/Management Cooperation as the basis for improving firm and enterprise profitability and productivity. Participants will be provided with the opportunity to discuss the practical modalities of implementing a Productivity Improvement Project in the Bahamas utilizing the techniques of Labour/Management Cooperation and Interest Based Problem Solving Negotiations.

       Workshop Methodology:
This will be a highly interactive workshop where each participant will play a key role adding value to the collective wisdom of the group.

       Outcomes of the Workshop:
It is the expectation of the leadership of the Bahamas Employers Confederation that one practical outcome of the workshop will be the drafting of a Summary Project Outline which reflects the inputs from each participant and which will provide the basis for the preparation of a comprehensive project document related to Productivity Improvement through Labor Management Cooperation in the Bahamas.

All those who are interested in attending this workshop are asked to contact BECon for registration and additional information.

The Economy and Proposed Labour Legislation

During the last couple of months the Bahamas has been dealt triple blows to our economy. The first blow was the Bay Street fire on September 4th that destroyed the Straw Market, The Ministry of Tourism offices and a number of adjacent retail stores and private sector offices. The second blow was exactly one week later, on September 11th, when terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and part of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., resulting in a sharp decline in tourist arrivals. The third blow occurred on November 5th when hurricane Michelle traversed the Central Bahamas passing directly over Andros, New Providence and Eleuthera.

Although tragic, the destruction caused by the Bay Street fire and the devastation caused by hurricane Michelle are adversities of a type that The Bahamas have endured and overcome in the past. We are thankful that no lives were lost in these disasters, and wish those adversely impacted by these events a speedy and complete recovery.

However, the consequence of the terrorist attacks in the U.S.A. is a disaster never seen before in The Bahamas. This attack accelerated the slowdown of an already declining world economy. Never before has The Bahamas experienced such a rapid, sharp decline of its economy. The proposed labour legislations were written when the economy was booming. There are two Bills that remain on the table, Minimum Wages & Health And Safety At Work. Care must be taken that these Bills reflect the reality of our economy.

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