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National Productivity Policy mooted

by Rajmi Manatunga

A National Productivity Policy will be introduced to achieve economic development through the promotion of productivity in the public and private sector industries.

The policy will bring together the three main components of industry - the government, employees and employers to find means of increasing efficiency in Sri Lankan industries, improving the quality of their products and creating competition in the local market, Employment and Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said at a workshop on 'knowledge management for corporate decision making' yesterday.

The five day workshop organised by the Employment and Labour Ministry on behalf of the Asian Productivity Organisation will enable delegates from 11 countries including China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka to discuss problems prevailing in the decision making level of public and private institutions and how the novel concept of knowledge management could help in solving them.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Samarasinghe said that the absence of a systematic approach to a long term strategy for productivity promotion has been felt by Sri Lankans for many years.

"The proposed policy will be sustained on the concept of gain sharing and we hope to implement it in a novel way by consulting the opinions of all Sri Lankans before presenting it to Parliament," he said.

The ministry has also launched a Website to get the participation of school children, civil society leaders and Sri Lankan expatriates in the formulation of the policy.

The minister said the government hopes to reach an economic growth rate of 10 per cent in the next three to four years. At present they are focusing on raising the economy from -1.1 per cent to a 3.5 per cent rate by the end of the year.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Bradman Weerakoon in his address said that though there is an explosion of knowledge in the world today, a proper management and acquisition of knowledge is needed.

"Today there are three public servants for every 100 Sri Lankans, one of the highest figures in the Asia Pacific region but the private sector in Sri Lanka is more advanced in productivity, efficiency and knowledge management than the public sector," he said.

Secretary General of the APO Takashi Tajima, Ambassador for Japan Seiichiro Otsuka, Secretary to the Ministry Mahinda Gammanpila, USAID Acting Mission Director Richard Byess were also present.

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