The decision to open the borders at this time, with new coronavirus cases still not falling consistently under 300, must not have been an easy one, and should send a message that we are looking past the virus and on to our economic circumstance. I maintain that I am not envious of world leaders, including ours, and other decision-makers operating within this novel environment.

On a weekly basis I receive and review judgements from the Industrial Court, and the issues and judicial comments are always so familiar, mainly due to the many recurring ill-informed decisions made by companies which usually result in the award of damages to workers or in their reinstatement.

In a previous column I suggested that soon we must reach some sort of accommodation for sustained industrial peace, supported by my prediction that the tripartite movement would adopt a position that is more supportive of the concept of business survival and continuity.

I believe that coming out of this period of economic uncertainty, companies in already precarious financial situations, if ill-informed about the tenets of good industrial relations, may cause undue harm to themselves, our industries and the workforce. Our economy should be viewed as ground zero after this covid19 war and all shoulders should be to the wheel.

It was reported in July 2019 that former president general of the Banking Insurance and General Workers Union and now Industrial Court judge Vincent Cabrera said, 'Too many matters, especially dismissals, are being referred to the Industrial Court,' and he was 'calling on trade unions to find alternatives to the court to settle disputes.' Cabrera said, 'This is evidence of a dysfunctional industrial relations system and other options must be considered.'

At this time, we should consider being more proactive and embark on a sustained outreach education programme to our major stakeholders and directly to employers.

In 2018 the Ministry of Labour initiated a series of commercials titled the Labourville Show that covered issues like sexual harassment, progressive discipline and retrenchment. These should be reconvened and expanded, based on purpose, reach and desired outcome.

I always believe that data in decision-making will help us to resolve many of our HR issues. So, as opposed to someone's mere intuition, I believe data should be mined efficiently and effectively to objectively determine the what, who, when and how of the particular issue. These are normally the questions of fact that are required to be answered in resolving disputes, along with the fair and reasonable application of the principles of natural justice.

A recent Harvard Business School article claimed that, "Society has imbued the concept of 'intuition' - of simply knowing when something is right or wrong - with a tremendous amount of prestige, importance, and influence.' It went on to state, 'According to a survey of more than 1,000 senior executives conducted by PwC, highly data-driven organisations are three times more likely to report si

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