Harmony in the workplace increases productivity Nevis Premier tells small business employers
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| Premier of Nevis and Minister with responsibility for Labour on Nevis Hon. Joseph Parry |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (DECEMBER 07, 2007) -- In an effort to promote industrial peace and harmony in the workplace, the Department of Labour in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) conducted a workshop for small business employers on Wednesday December 05, 2007, at the Nevis Red Cross Center under the theme “Towards a better workplace”.
Chief Labor Officer Mrs. Averil Williams said that the workshop’s objective was to help employers to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony in the workplace and to ensure job security and employment stability.
“This day gives us an opportunity to interact at least briefly for betterment of labor relations and we cannot over emphasise the importance of interaction and communication in the workplace and in dealing with people in general.
“We all look forward to better things, better days, we want circumstances to be better for you employers in the workplace we want circumstances to be better for us in the Department of Labor. Good relationships cultivate peace and harmony and where there is peace and harmony, there is likely to be job security and employment stability,” she said.
While he declared the workshop officially opened, Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry who is responsible for Labor said that the workshop indicated that the Department was active and was reaching out not only to employees but to employers.
The Premier said that although he was not in a position to comment on labor relations on the island, he underscored the importance of working together and in harmony to increase productivity. ~~Adz:Right~~
“I must say briefly that I expect you to appreciate that you can’t do well in business unless you reach out to your employees. You will not make a profit unless your employees are working with you, unless they identify with your business and they feel part of the business. They in turn will need to understand that if they expect to get more wages, if they want increased wages you must have increased productivity.
“They [employees] have to put an input in for you to increase your output and thereby be in a position to increase their wages. It is our business, and the business of the employers to impress upon them to make inputs, so that the output can increase and then they can share the benefits. Tell them to focus on their inputs so that you can have outputs, to do their jobs well and to establish a good relationship with each other and everything will be well,” he said.
The Minister of Labor made reference to the United States of America and pointed out that in any strong commercial and industrialised society the economic development of that society was dependent on small business activity. He said that his Administration had tried to work with small businesses on the island of Nevis by offering incentives in a wide range of activities. Mr. Parry further encouraged the small business operators to take advantage of the incentive packages that were offered to them.
“I know sometimes people tend to feel that concessions are only for foreigners but they are for everybody but there very areas in which foreigners go into and locals can go too, if they have capital. We understand that most people don’t have the type of investment but they can go into small businesses and so we are encouraging small businesses.
“I must tell you that even in the Ministry of Finance we have begun to reap the benefits of supporting small businesses for the past 16 months. In the month of November, the returns from Customs were considerable and that is a good sign that the efforts and the policies of this government are working,” Mr. Parry said.
The workshop also discussed the importance of furnishing employees with a written Terms and Conditions of employment, a topic that was facilitated by Junior Labor Officer, Mr. Carlisle Hobson. Gender Affairs Coordinator, Mrs. Salome James looked at “Setting the Tone for the Work Environment”.
The workshop which was the first of its kind to be hosted by the Department concluded on Thursday with employers who operated business on a larger scale. At the end of the two-day exercise, over 30 employers on the island benefited.
