CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) arrangements should also make provision for the movement of unskilled labour in the region, according to the communique coming out of the Ninth Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) held in George-town last week.

At the meeting convened from Wednesday to Friday under the chairmanship of Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Labour and Small and Micro-Enterprise Development, Lawrence Achong, COHSOD noted that all CARICOM member states, except Haiti, Montserrat and St Kitts and Nevis had put mechanisms in place for the free movement of wage-earning categories of workers. However, security concerns have been expressed relating to the free movement of workers.

In respect of hassle-free travel, the COHSOD noted that measures had been taken by member states to establish common lines for CARICOM nationals and some member states were prepared to accept identification cards which were not machine-readable as an interim measure.

The meeting also noted the progress to date on the establishment of the Regional Accreditation Mechanism, which was a key component in facilitating the free intra-regional movement of skills. While national accreditation bodies had been established or were being set up, the COHSOD urged member states to continue to comply with the programme in order to ensure that the process is completed as soon as possible.

The COHSOD also took note of the challenges facing labour in the context of the establishment of the CSME and the region’s hemispheric and international trade relations. It recognised, the communiqué said, the imperative of retraining and reorganising the work force, as well as the need for labour itself and the other social partners to be involved in the development and implementation of policies and programmes to facilitate the viability and competitiveness of workers.

Ministers in attendance were Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Dr Dale Bisnauth; Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy; and Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj; as well as Barbados Minister of Labour, Rawle Eastmond; Belize Minister of Human Development, Local Govern-ment and Labour, Marcial Mes; Grenada Minister of Labour and Local Govern-ment, Lawrence Joseph; and Saint Lucia Minister (Industrial Relations) Velon John. Representing the Cayman Islands was Minister of Education, Human Resources and Culture, Roy Bodden, while Suriname was represented by outgoing Chair of the COHSOD, Suriname Minister of Education and Development, Walter Sandriman.

“New” CARIFESTA

The COHSOD agreed that a Task Force should be established to develop proposals for a strategic plan for a “new” CARIFESTA. Those recommendations should be presented to COHSOD for its consideration following which they would be tabled for endorsement by the Community Council of Ministers and then submitted for approval by the Conference of Heads of Government at its regular meeting in July 2004, according to the communique.

Internationally acclaimed Guyanese artist Phillip Moore received an award presented by CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington on behalf of Suriname President Runaldo Venetiaan. Moore was one of five Caribbean artists selected to participate in the Extraordinary Palace Exhibition of Fine Arts by distinguished artists of the Caribbean held during CARIFESTA V111 in Suriname. In his brief remarks to the gathering, Moore expressed his gratitude for the honour while noting that his philosophy was underpinned by the notion that the two scourges of humanity were greed and ignorance.

Crime and violence

The impact of crime and violence on the cost of business was a major concern of the COHSOD which looked at the imperative of curbing it since it posed a threat to society and to the environment. The COHSOD also noted the work of the Regional Task Force on Crime and Security and endorsed the priority areas for action. Further, it urged the Task Force to address demand reduction issues as well as security matters relating to free movement. The meeting also noted that the important regional conference on Border Security is scheduled for early 2004.

Role of labour

Ministers of Labour, the communiqué said, should collaborate closely with Ministers of Trade on labour issues in the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) process, especially since Labour Ministers in the hemisphere have been discussing the labour dimension of that process for the last five years under the aegis of the OAS in order to respond to the mandates of the Heads of State in the Summit of the Americas.

It was agreed that the voice of labour is important in the formulation of policies as well as in trade negotiations and reference was made to the social compact in Barbados as a possible model.

Preparing for ICT-driven economy

The COHSOD also reiterated the imperative of ensuring that the process of training and retraining was accelerated, utilising the Technical and Vocational Education and Training structure so that the workforce would be trained in a broad spectrum of skills to ensure their competitiveness in the current economic environment.

There was agreement too that the curricula in schools should prepare students for participation in the ICT-driven (Information & Communications Technology-driven) global economy.

Consideration was given to the concept of “Decent Work” and the meeting noted the work which needs to be undertaken in respect of defining and treating with this concept.

COHSOD received a report on the status of national Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) which had been established in all member states. They recognised the need for training of relevant staff to maintain the system, while expressing appreciation for the willingness of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to cooperate with the secretariat on issues relating to LMIS.

Joint Council of Civil Society

A report was received on the work of the Task Force established to follow up on the recommendations of the Liliendaal Statement which emanated from the Forward Together Civil Society Conference held in Guyana in July 2002.

It endorsed the proposal of the Task Force for the establishment of a Joint Council of Civil Society which would represent the social partners in interactions with the Conference of Heads of Government and other organs and institutions of the Community.

The COHSOD also received a report from the World Bank on the development of a network-based on ICT platforms which is expected to enhance the delivery of a variety of education and conference services. It was agreed that the secretariat would coordinate follow-up actions with the Bank, including convening a Technical Working Group to examine options for establishing Centres of Excellence, the communiqué added.