Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 27, 2024 (SKNIS): The National Productivity Council Bill, 2024,  secured safe passage through the Federal Parliament on Tuesday, March 26, marking a pivotal moment in the establishment of the National Productivity Council and its related functions in St. Kitts and Nevis. 

The Council will be responsible for identifying and analysing factors affecting productivity and recommending strategies to address them, and for developing and implementing training programmes to enhance the skills and capabilities of the workforce, among other things.

Mover of the Bill, the Honourable Marsha Henderson, Minister responsible for Labour, emphasised that productivity  stands as a paramount issue, pivotal to propelling  the Federation forward. 

“Over the coming months, efforts will be made to improve productivity and expand economic capacity and fast-track the green energy transition in order to yield term benefits and energy security,” said Minister Henderson. 

She further mentioned that productivity and prosperity are tightly connected, in that when productivity increases in the private sector, it typically results in higher profits that benefit shareholders, employees, and consumers, while in the public sector, it leads to an increase in government tax revenue.

Minister Henderson further stated that increased productivity in the public sector typically results in cost savings for taxpayers and also enhances productivity in the private sector, while robust national productivity enhances a country’s overall competitiveness and appeal to local and foreign investors.

The minister also indicated that upon the Bill’s passage, the Ministry of Labour and Employment aims to implement the four-day workweek, highlighting it as a key advantage of establishing a National Productivity Council.

In her concluding remarks, the Honourable Minister stated that the Bill is a step in the right direction because of its multipurpose benefits not just to employers but employees as well.