It took more than 30 years of Keston Nancoo's working life before he became chairman of the Employers' Consultative Association (ECA). The new chairman has worked in two of the largest companies in the manufacturing sector-Carib Brewery Ltd and Angostura Ltd-in human resources, marketing and sales and distribution. He also has ten years of industrial relations with the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) for which he was branch president representing Carib Brewery Ltd workers. "It took me 28 years of my work life before I earned $10,000. I am from a humble background. I am not ashamed to say where I came from. I have had many challenges in life, but I learnt from my mistakes and the experiences allowed me to build character," said Nancoo, in an interview last Saturday at his Malabar, Arima, home. Elected three weeks ago as ECA chairman for a two-year term, Nancoo's vision is for the ECA to work not only with other business groups, but also other key stakeholders like the trade union movement and the State.
Nancoo, who is Guardian Holdiings Ltd's group vice-president, human resource and corporate services, wants a more collaborative approach in the employer/employee relationship in T&T. This comes on the backdrop of the seemingly incessant confrontation between trade unions and employers in the country. "As far as I am concerned, confrontation is not necessary. I see a future relationship between employers and employees and their representative bodies, where there is a process of collaboration and dialogue and honest conversations." Nancoo argued that this sort of social dialogue would lead to better and more meaningful results for both employers and employees. "If you look at the example of the Guardian Media Ltd Group in the ANSA McAL Group, the environment that Gabriel Faria (managing director of Guardian Media Ltd) creates for that group is going to determine the level of morale, the level of motivation, the level of employee engagement and, more importantly, the level of employee retention. That translates into improved productivity, greater levels of profitability, which leads to a sustainable future," he said. Guardian Media Ltd publishes the T&T Guardian newspaper.
Collective bargaining
He believes that some of the articles in the recently concluded Public Services Association (PSA) collective agreement should have been thought out more carefully. "I am not in a position to pass any judgment, but I would have thought that a lot more work could have been done around some of the benefits. "For example, the housing item, I'm not sure the indepth work was done around that. There needs to be more clarity around that. I, however, want to applaud the parties for introducing some creativity in their approach." Modern industrial relations practice is more than just about a focus on cash compensation, Nancoo said. "Collective bargaining in this modern world involves parties finding creative ways to provide improved benefits to members of the employee population that will allow them to enjoy a better and improved standard of living. "The focus, therefore, is not on giving people ten or 15 per cent, but on how parties can take some of that and translate it into benefits," he said.
Further, there is a movement to "cafeteria" style benefits where employees are given the option to choose benefits that are more aligned to their needs and aspirations. Commenting on the awareness of employees and trade unions of best practices in modern employee relations, Nancoo said people in T&T are well informed on these matters. "The information is there. Our people are well aware. Our trade union leaders have been exposed to best practices internationally, so it's not as if they don't know. Their willingness to take it and make a difference, maybe that's where the challenge is," he said. Nancoo also said it is important for all stakeholders to work together, but does not believe this is a confrontational society.
"Tripartism is the key. It is a feasible and effective strategy through which commitment to economic and social development can be achieved. This brings to the fore the commonality of objectives of all social partners." he said. "Though workers may have separate interests, he believes that economic prosperity, stability and social progress cannot be achieved by governments, employers or workers acting alone. Meaningful progress demands that there must be a unity of purpose, greater levels of commitment to social dialogue and collaboration where social partners are able to rise to the bigger picture since, at the end of the day, being able to compete globally is a key enabler to providing jobs and sustaining employment levels. On the other hand, employers would be expected to play their role by demonstrating a commitment to continuously creating an environment where employees are treated fairly and with respect," he said.
ECA objectives
With the ECA being in its 51st year, Nancoo said, "We need to focus our efforts on value creation opportunities that are aligned to meeting the interests of employers." He said while industrial relations consultancy remains the mainstay of the organisation because of its proactive approach to human resource management, it also provides services in environmental management, occupational safety and health and other workplace issues. He said the ECA also offers meaningful opportunities for capacity building through an academy which hosts courses twice a year on key industrial relations themes. Over the next two years, one of Nancoo's main goals is to sustain the ECA brand and image.
"My team and I will be taking the ECA to the next level. This means service. We want to take another look at content and the modality as it relates to service. There is a wide array of social media now. Do we continue with traditional e-mails and brochures or now look at Facebook and other new forms of social media? We have to create value for our customers if we are to remain relevant," he said.
He added the ECA also wants to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders like the Government, the Industrial Court, International Labour Organisation (ILO) the Manufacturers Association, the T&T Chamber of Commerce, trade unions, and other regional and national groups. "We already have a relationship with these stakeholders, but given the industrial relations climate, there is the need to deepen and broaden those ties. I look forward to working closely as an example with Andrew Sabga, new president of the T&T Chamber, among other organisational leaders. Together, we can make a difference. We can collaborate on regional and national issues that would impact the socio-economic environment." Nancoo said that as part of the national labour agenda, the ECA will continue to be a key player by supporting the principles of the decent work agenda, the modernisation of the legislative framework, efforts to enhancing productivity and competitiveness and small and micro enterprise development.
Competitiveness
T&T businesses being competitive is important, Nancoo said. "In a very competitive international economy, all the stakeholders in T&T must create the right conditions for businesses and jobs to be sustained. I referred earlier to tripartism being the key driver and would like to see the Government as the lead facilitator, since they are best placed to do so," he said. "For businesses to be able to provide jobs, they must be competitive and not just competitive locally, they must strive to become competitive to the point where they are able to compete globally." Creating a competitive environment makes the ECA's role critical. "As employers continue to grapple with the impact of the global financial and economic crisis, the depth and duration which is still uncertain, on enterprises, labour markets, industrial relations and competitiveness and seek to reposition themselves to face challenges of this era, we see the role of ECA assuming even greater significance," he said.
Keston Nancoo's BIO
Experience: 2010 to present: group vice-president, human resource and corporate services, Guardian Holdings Ltd (GHL) 2002-2010: vice-president, employee relations then promoted to vice-president, human resource services 1997 to October, 2002: Angostura Ltd as manager, export sales; project manager, Angostura Group, Suriname and manager at Servis Ltd (subsidiary of Angostura)
1991 to 1997: Carib Brewery Ltd in key positions, eg: project manager, sales and distribution, public relations/promotions manager and employee relations officer
Education
1997-Masters of Business Administration
Andrews University, Michigan, United States
1991-BSc, Business Administration, Marywood College, Pennsylvania
Additional info:
Lecturer at the T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute as well as the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business.