The distinguished lecture on the modern labour movement for the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute (HLSTUEI) at The University of the West Indies, delivered by former Prime Minister P J Patterson should start a conversation on transforming trade unions and remind us that “the struggle continues”.

This tripartite movement has investors, workers and trade unions in a marketplace. Investors are prime movers and make jobs; workers want jobs; and unions seek better for them and charge dues. But the market is changing, so unions, not investors or workers, must examine their business model and make changes to survive.

Trade unions gave us great leaders Sir Alexander Bustamante and Michael Manley, but they have not evolved. They still want Dickensian jobs — set pay, gold watch after 40 years — but investors now use performance contracts which make productive workers earn big. This era has not produced a union hero, so we need a conversation as productivity, dues, and membership are down, yet investors create jobs. So who is letting down the side?

In 2011 the HLSTUEI held a conference on union “relevance and sustainability”. What happened? The modus to grab workers in nine-to-five jobs and badger the employer for more pay is unchanged. Have unions done research on how to add value to workers in a business process outsourcing (BPO), security, logistics contract space? What is their favoured innovation?

Cabinet says our future is in BPOs, logistics, and analytics, plus last year we wrote on “gig economy” jobs resulting from technology and innovation. Have unions retooled? One app enriched ‘Uber-millions’ of jobs and US$100 billion in value.

Wikipedia says a union is: “An organisation formed by workers that work for the common interest of its members.” In what world will unions be relevant so as to be sustainable?

In the first labour revolution, 1938, Bustamante was the hero against 1838 ex-slave wages. He bared his chest to police muskets, won dollar a day, and trade unions on the British model were born. The second in the 70s, by Michael Manley, won black dignity and the masses found their voice. The third revolution is due, as Michael is long gone. Who under 45 knew him?

Investors in 21st- century jobs are here. Are the unions ready? No! Worker productivity and pay are crucial, but the education system fails them even at degree level. Michael Manley’s impact was huge — oratory, uplift projects as literacy, laws as on bastardy; so our workers exude confidence but lack critical thinking and competence. We dominate Tainoland, but are insecure, unsettled; musings on slavery, buggery, reparation, back to Africa, and ganja undermine workers who get rosy promises of something for nothing. Why strive for growth?

Technology is an existential threat to unions. In other nations, workers love their jobs and wish their kids to follow on, not so here. A top-dollar ace welder wants his kids to be doctors. In our labour market, supply and demand are mediated and unions seek members. We know 21st-century investors embrace technology, so new jobs are productivity-aligned and flexible to boost family life. Unions do not know how to handle them and they bad-mouth and undermine these jobs and try to reduce them to banal, nine-to-five jobs. Technology means few better-paying jobs; better educated workers, new high-order jobs. We toured a cement factory in Europe run by 10 workers using telemetry, remote sensing, and closed-circuit television, and my team wept for Rockfort. We heard testimony by Uber workers who love their jobs — they speak of freedom to pick up kids, go to gym, a sale, take a personal day, and still do 40 hours’ work on the app. The modern labour movement is unions, workers and employers in a symbiosis. Yet, the sugar industry still has Luddite, semi-literate, demeaned workers. The Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and National Worker’s Union, etc, should be ashamed; but politicians want votes and union bosses are politicians too. Repent!

By contrast, Bustamante’s legacy waterfront is cutting-edge, computerised straddle carriers, container X-ray, hand-held scanners, tablets; no more raggedy workers, but a small, well-paid, globally competitive workforce. When will unions innovate to support these workers?

Unions need a champion. Conscious men with moral authority to take responsibility for worker deportment, ethics — earn the dues! Why is worker attendance, effort, habits so bad? Teach work methods — to lay out tools and clean up after work? Some go off for days as “mom is sick” — lies and dishonesty as they do not go for one hour to a “son’s PTA”. Many workers cannot read, write, reason; unions should be ashamed! Workers pay dues so unions should be responsible for these issues. They should develop fixes for all job types. Some will be the usual bargaining unit, but for contract jobs, some consultancy, modelling, simulation services may help – not sneak the union through the back door. The only thing keeping unions down is their own lack of innovation.

Companies Office an obstacle

Peeps say this public utility which once got high marks is now an obstacle to progress. The service delays and high fees are a turn-off, so reinvest some of the profits, please. Can an address-change take two weeks and cost more than to form a company? Officers upstairs may be feuding with those downstairs so approvals are rescinded by the upper floor and the public shuttled in, out and pay through the nose. Lost originals are legion so keep your receipts and insist they check behind desks, coffee machine, or in another file jacket. Keep the reports coming people!

Franklin Johnston, D Phil (Oxon), is a strategist and project manager; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK); and teaches logistics and supply chain management at Mona School of Business and Management, The University of the West Indies. Send comments to the Observer or franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.