SENIOR director of the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), Dennis Morrison, has suggested that industries such as the apparel sector extend their working day to 24 hours to improve the island's competitive position.Noting that the eight-hour work day was an outdated notion in today's global marketplace, Mr. Morrison argued that "we can't work eight hours a day in any business and expect to compete with the rest of the world."
He was speaking at a motivational seminar organised by the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ) dubbed "Blast Off 2001", under the theme "Seize the Moment - 2001 Opportunities" at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston on Monday last.
Mr. Morrison, an economist who was speaking on the topic "Opportunities in the economy", noted that despite the positive prospects during the year ahead the country would also face major challenges such as the drag on the economy by sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and apparel, caused by the slowness of entrepreneurs to respond to the need for restructuring and to reform their management practices.
However, the JBI director said entrepreneurs in those sectors could, for example, look at expanding the working day as part of the effort to improve their position in the international market.
"How can we expect working expensive capital for eight hours a day to compete with other countries who work that capital for 24 hours?" asked Mr. Morrison.
"Certainly, it is not beyond us to organise work in such a way that we can use capital for more hours in the day and improve our competitive position," he said.
Mr. Morrison said the bauxite industry, the Caribbean Cement Company and several others were already moving in that direction and it should be expanded to other industries.
He singled out the apparel sector, suggesting that "one of the things which should be done is to make it a 24-hour work day rather than eight hours which is an outdated notion in today's global marketplace."
