Orville W. Taylor, Contributor
THE ADVANTAGE with speaking nicely is that it makes it easier if one eventually has to eat one's words.
Of course, I am humbled over the failure of the lightning Bolt to strike in Helsinki. As Usain Bolt jogged home in the 200 metres final I said "Hell! It stink, eeh?"
After all, I had predicted that he would have beaten Gay and company from the United States.
Maybe he was remembering the anti-gay flak Jamaicans receive in Europe so he was not taking any chances in a country where the female prime minister is rumoured to be a "gynophile".
Doubtless, we all are "disablunted" with Veronica Campbell's failure to medal in the women's equivalent. Had I been a gambler I would have lost my BMW (black 'maciated wagon). Still, we earned a lot of metal and I am quite elated with Trecia Smith's gold medal as she hopped, skipped and jumped over the opposition.
She made me truly understand why it was called 'triple jump' because she had the best three jumps and could have, therefore, won gold, silver and bronze.
VAGARIES OF COMPETITION
Nevertheless, sport is not like politics or management when you have more control of the variables. It is different when one promises to deliver a gold medal but has to deal with the vagaries of the weather, competitors and other extraneous factors.
Helsinki, Finland, has long daylight hours in summer, sometimes for 24 hours. It is also normally colder than a puppy's nose and worse when it rains. That for Jamaicans is disastrous because 'if it drizzles, work fizzles' and rainy days are holidays. Nonetheless, as cold as it was in Europe, it was dark and hot in many parts of Jamaica.
Our electricity company promised not have any disruption of service during the holiday weekends. However, like the Barbara Streisand's song, reprised by Diana Rutherford, scores were "left in the dark again," ironically while watching Rising Stars.
I found it difficult to remain silent not only because a lot of Jamaican consumers have been complaining to me but also because I believe that we must get value for our money.
After all there is a view that governments do not run businesses well. Therefore if a corporation has been privatised, the promise is that it will become more efficient and profitable. Profit is not a dirty word unless it is a 'false prophet' like me.
UNIONS AND MOU
Well, there is no doubt that the Jamaica Public Service Company has made profits as it has recently reported a bumper year, netting some $500 million in three months.
On the other hand, there is little evidence that it has become more efficient. At the same time the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is announcing an imminent increase in electricity rates. It does raise questions as to whether it is acting in 'OUR' interest.
Speaking of three-letter words, the trade unions are now using words with one more letter and are serving warning that the Memorandum of "Underpaying" (MoU) is on shaky grounds. For them, the projected 13 to 15 per cent increase in the inflation rate calls for a proportionate rise in wages.
The Jamaica Civil Service Association members are seeking salaries of 80 per cent of the market value of their counterparts' emoluments in the private sector.
I doubt that the Government has the ability to pay any substantial salary increases because even the two-year-old increases for hard-to-replace UWI academics have not been paid.
So, when I come calling with my 'cyandense can" begging 'supp'n', please 'let off'!
Seriously though, the MoU was a bipartite reciprocal agreement between the trade unions and the Government.
With the understanding that cost of living would be kept within an agreed manageable range, the unions accepted a ceiling on wages.
If the Government, for whatever reason, finds that the cost of living has raced out of its control, it has no moral choice but to accede to the unions.
Moreover, it will now find itself in an even greater bind with the Jamaica Police Federation (JPF), which was not a signatory to the agreement and never respected it in the first place. There are consequences for promising what we can't deliver. What's new under the sun?
SPEAKING OF FAIRNESS
The impact of the breakdown of the MoU will provide far more 'bangarang' to Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies than any allusion to his family. This is certainly no time for him to be 'short' sighted. Fair is fair!
Nonetheless, as we speak of fairness, the smaller communication companies are blaming the OUR and Cable and Wireless - which incidentally is one of its funders - for their collapse. Weren't we promised more and fair competition?
By the way, how come no one is explaining that many toll-free lines are not 'charge free' if one calls from Digicel phones? Since the numbers are not toll-free, they should be called 'Digiportmore'.
Nevertheless, while still on the topic of fairness, I am happy to note that American businessman Eduardo Hillman was ordered extradited from Miami to Trinidad and Tobago to answer charges.
Under a 1996 reciprocal agreement, American citizens can be sent to T& T just like when the 'Feds' send for our 'king pins' in Jamaica. Yet, I am informed that we don't have such an agreement between the U..S. and Jamaica.
If this is true, then we really have no clue. Anyway, since I am writing this from 'foreign' let me be on my best 'deportment.' Next week.
Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
