Hugh Lawson Shearer T rade U nion Education Institute

Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade UnionEducation InstituteISSUE 11January 17, 2011mirrorLaunch of ‘ProductivityChampions’The Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Instituteand the Jamaica Productivity Centre will be launching aprogramme entitled: “Workplace Productivity Champions: Creatinga New Culture”. The programme will be launched onTuesday, January 25, 2011 at 1:00pm at the Mona Visitors’Lodge, Mona Campus, UWI.The programme is conceived to address the issues of lowproductivity within the workplace by focusing on four criticalareas of productivity improvements, namely, developing a cultureof productivity, developing a highly motivated and skilledworkforce, developing smart organizational structures and increasinginvestments in appropriate technology, innovation andproductivity enhancing techniques.Phase two of the programme will focus on supplementingthe knowledge and attitude with the skills andtools needed to improve productivity performance. Theproductivity champions should be able to contribute, withthe help of the Jamaica Productivity Centre, to the developmentand utilization of productivity improvement initiativesat the workplace, be able to set priorities for implementingproductivity improvement initiatives, demonstrate the abilityto build a proactive and problem solving workplace cultureand identify and eliminate wastes in all its forms and manifestationsas well as quantifying the derived benefits.According to information provided by the JPC thecountry has been caught in a slow-growth trap over thepast thirty-five years, where “gross domestic product(GDP) grew by a meager 0.5 percent per annum. Studiesdone by both JPC and the Inter-American DevelopmentBank reveal that low growth is a feature of low productivity.Workers from various workplaces will be selected to beempowered to develop, instill and sustain a productivity cultureat their respective workplaces. Head of the Hugh LawsonShearer Trade Union Education Institute Danny Roberts saidthat “the programme should enhance worker-managementrelationship through the development of advocates and practitionerswho will work in co-operation with management in promotingand facilitating productivity improvements at the enterpriselevel.” He noted that a critical success factor will be theequitable sharing of the productivity gains.The Executive Director of the Jamaica Productivity CentreDr. Charles Douglas noted that “the fundamental goal of theprogramme is that adoption of methods and techniques forsustained productivity growth will significantly improve enterpriseefficiency, effectiveness, product or service quality, competitivenessand profitability.” He argued that the productivitychampions will be supported with research information and dataso that they can adequately and effectively demonstrate theimportant links between productivity, socio-economic and culturaladvancement of a country.”Phase one of the programme will see the introduction ofa certified professional development course designed toimprove the knowledge and understanding of productivity,recognizing the benefits of productivity improvementsthrough culture change, nurturing a personal commitment todeveloping and sustaining a productivity culture, and committedto utilizing the knowledge and attitude to enhance jobperformance, organization effectiveness and improvedbenefits.The programme is currently being designed by theOpen Campus of the University of the West Indies and isexpected to commence in September and should run forapproximately 13 weeks.

All-China Federation DelegationVisitA delegation from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions visitedJamaica in December last year and paid a courtesy call on the officesof the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute(HLSTUEI).Head of the HLSTUEI Danny Roberts in welcoming the delegationto the Open Campus outlined the work of the Institute and highlightedthe significant role it continues to play in providing experttraining, leadership courses, seminars and workshops to trade unionofficers and delegates throughout the Caribbean.Trade Union Leaders exposed to On-lineSocial NetworkingTrade Union officers and delegates have been exposed to the world of cyberspaceand the importance of social networking through the internet to connect with local, regionaland international groups to benefit from information sharing and strengthening communicationlinkages with other trade union organisations and International Trade Secretariats.Mr. Roberts said that the Institute is working towards developing anumber of certified professional courses to be delivered in multimodeand offered to as wide a cross section of the working class aspossible. He stressed the importance the Institute places on providinga bridge for workers who fall outside the matriculation requirementsof the University to be incorporated into the academic mainstreamthrough these professional development courses. He pointedto the Introduction to Labour Studies Courses and the Certificate inLabour Studies as two mainstream programmes the Institute is offering.He spoke of the HLSTUEI’s work in promoting productivity cultureand the added emphasis which is being placed on research andinnovation in industrial relations and labour studies in the region.During the months of October and November last year nearly 40 officers and delegateshave been exposed to the various ways in which the internet can be used to advance thework of their organisations through the forming of on-line communities, real-time communication,networking, information access and job opportunities. The need for trade unions tounderstand the benefits of the information technology and use it to advance the work oforganizing and negotiations is very importance in the face of an increasingly globalisedworld.___________________Children enjoying the bounce–about at the HLSTUEI XmasTreatMr. Wang Ruisheng, Vice-Chairman and Member of Secretariatof the All-Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) expressed his delegation’sdelight at visiting Jamaica and the Institute and spoke of thework of the China Institute of Industrial Relations. Mr. Ruishengpointed to the importance of teaching and research in providinghigher education and professional skills training for the workingpoplation, and the need to expand the Institute’s work in the widercommunity.Calendar EventsLaunch of “Productivity Champions” programme, Mona Visitors’Lodge, Tuesday, January 25, 2011 starting at 1:00 pm