Morris: Improved work ethic needed

BARBADOS’ AMBASSADOR TO CARICOM Robert “Bobby” Morris has suggested that the trade union movement is not to blame for Barbadians’ poor work ethic.
Instead, he said workers and managers in both the public and private sectors had to take first responsibility.
Speaking during a recent panel discussion hosted by the Barbados chapter of Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants, he said that although Barbadians’ attitude to work was constantly being criticized, nothing was being done to improve it.
“How do you get a country that year after year the people who are evaluating you are telling you that you suffer from a poor work ethic and I don’t hear anything about Barbadians trying to counter that?” Morris asked.
   “I really don’t understand that because somehow we identify that work ethic with the trade union movement and we don’t want to offend people in the trade union movement.
   “Sorry to tell you, the trade union movement is not responsible for that,” the former trade unionist said.
   “If you want to interfere with anybody, you have to deal with the people themselves, those who are contributing to that poor work ethic and then you deal with their managers in the private and public sector and then you ask the trade union to work with you to harness the change that is necessary.”  
(NB)