Mismanagement at State enterprises

Productivity, for people who care, involves all parties in the enterprise, not only the workers.

If the working conditions are unsatisfactory, productivity falters.

Employers expect productivity irrespective of working conditions and are quick to place blame on ordinary workers at the drop of a hat. Little attention is given to remedying the failings and ensuring that management does its job.

Too many people will ignore the necessity for ensuring that managers manage and don’t simply ignore problems until they become unmanageable, as has happened in a particular uniformed service, when a vast number of uninformed people congratulated the Police Commissioner for taking action, but in fact he was simply warning of the intention to take action, as he is required to do.

It is this tendency for people to jump to conclusions that creates the virtual panic at the first sign of trouble. The political leadership of this country, aided and abetted by the elites, have for far too long fed this dissonance in the society and created an environment that encourages people to arrive at conclusions after hearing only half the story.

The facts are that Petrotrin has been losing (wasting?) money for as long as it has been under government ownership. In the past, when oil prices were high, it was easy to disguise the wastage but that is no longer possible. None of the bad business decisions or corrupt actions can be laid at the door of the workers.

If workers are contributing in any way by their lack of productivity, the question that should be asked is what is management doing to foster good work habits and a safe environment. It is not enough to say that workers are unproductive; the reasons for lack of productivity must be determined and action taken to correct them.

Too often blame is ascribed without investigation and this is why the Industrial Court had to take steps to protect itself from unfair criticism from business executives who refuse to surrender their prerogative to do this.

The future of Petrotrin cannot be assured unless and until strong action to rid it of the many leeches who suck its lifeblood daily.

Karan Mahabirsingh Carapichaima