Honourable Ministers
Dr. Edward Greene and other members of the CARICOM Secretariat
Ms. Grace Strachan, Director of the ILO, Caribbean Office
Permanent Secretaries
Representatives of Ministers
Representatives of Regional and International Institutions
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is certainly a pleasure for me to be here in Guyana at this very important Meeting. I bring you greetings from the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago.
I must express my delight – and that of my Ministry – at the fact that this COHSOD Meeting is devoted, almost entirely, to labour issues. It is a focus of COHSOD that we – and, I am sure, many of you – have been awaiting for a while now. I would like to thank Dr. Greene and his team for arranging this particular meeting.
We are meeting at a most strategic time. This meeting is taking place on the heels of the 13th Inter – American Conference of Ministers of Labour which was held a couple of weeks ago in Salvador, Brazil, to address issues related to globalisation as they affect employment and labour in the Americas. Further afield, the World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalisation, set up last year by the Director-General of the ILO, should be poised to present its authoritative report in the near future. One expects that that report would point to a more crystallized role for labour Ministries and for the tripartite partners in the globalisation process. Closer to home, there is now a healthy focus on the labour issues of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. These developments are also certainly raising our awareness, expectation and determination as to what should be the outcomes of the FTAA process, particularly as they relate to the impact on the people of this sub-region.
In my view, we are well on the way to achieving critical mass as it pertains to the recognition of the key role that Ministries of Labour can and must play in the globalisation and integration agendas – and, indeed, in the development agendas – of their countries. It is gratifying to see a link being established between the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) and the regional labour meetings. This link must become a more formal feature of all regional labour meetings. Moreover, we need to ensure that the relationship between the two groups evolves to the stage where the RNM is fully apprised of the labour issues and the labour implications of their strategies and of the various proposals that may be placed on the negotiation table.
The normalization of such a relationship requires frequent interaction, not only at regional forums such as this, but also at the national level and particularly between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Trade. Very often you would find that the Trade Ministries hold quite intensive discussion and strategy sessions prior to international negotiations, but seem to be oblivious that there may be implications for labour or that Labour Ministries should be consulted. We therefore need to sensitise Ministers of Trade, through the Council for Trade and Development (COTED), that there is an important role in the process, for Labour Ministries.
Our approach to trade negotiations must be an integrated one. And our ultimate focus must be the impact of such negotiations on the quality of life of our citizens. If not, we may, unwittingly, bring unforced negative consequences on our people. When we negotiate a particular trade position or endorse a particular trading arrangement, we must do so from a position of full appreciation of the impact in the short, medium and long term, on our industries, our labour force and our economy. More than that, we must be ready to act swiftly to mitigate any negative fallout of such decisions, mindful that such action may entail industrial restructuring and the retraining and retooling of sections of our labour force.
Recognising the role that Ministries of Labour must play in the establishment of a fair and equitable rules-based trading network, however, is only part of the picture. Labour Ministries require considerable retooling, retraining and restructuring in order to competently perform in this new role. There is an urgent need for capacity building – in particular, analytical capacity – on issues related to globalisation, trade liberalisation, integration, international trade negotiations and their impact on labour.
There is also the need for different and better labour market institutions and arrangements to promote beneficial outcomes for our people, from globalisation. Such institutions and arrangements would include, of course, labour market information systems, active labour market policies, decent work agendas and mechanisms for social dialogue.
When I consider the theme of this 9th COHSOD: Investing in Human Resources, with special reference to Labour, I therefore see two related levels of investment. The first applies to the building of the capacity of the technical and professional staff, responsible for placing and addressing the labour agenda within the context of trade liberalisation and market integration. The second relates to investment, through education and training and other labour market policies and programmes, in the labour force and future labour force of CARICOM Member States.
I must point out here that the focus of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labour is right on target. At their recent 13th Conference, the Meeting adopted the Salvador Declaration and Plan of Action. The implementation of this Plan of Action is to be undertaken by two Working Groups, which will each focus on one of the two critical issues of importance to this gathering. Group I will address the Labour Dimensions of the Summit of the Americas Process while the second Group will give attention to Building Capacity of Ministries of Labour.
You should know also that only four CARICOM Countries (Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago) participated in the Americas Labour Ministers Conference. . Given the relevance of the issues of integration, which are addressed at the Conference and the particular importance, and urgency of these issues to our CARICOM countries, it is hoped that the region can enhance its participation in this process in the future. We certainly can build on the foundation of the XII Conference where St. Vincent and the Grenadines served as Vice Chair for Working Group II. Through regional cooperation, a structured approach can be developed and the CARICOM region can expand its role in the follow-up to the XIII Conference.
The Council for Human and Social Development, in my view, has an extremely critical role to play in ensuring that our regional and hemispheric integration agendas redound to the benefit of the people in the CARICOM circle. The integrated agenda that would form the basis for our deliberations over the next few days, demonstrates clearly that the Council’s focus is on the people of the region. I would like to suggest, however, that COHSOD take the lead in establishing stronger linkages with the other Councils of CARICOM, and particularly, with the Council for Trade and Development.
Before I end, I would like, once again, to commend the CARICOM Secretariat for convening this labour-focussed meeting of COHSOD and for the excellent hospitality we have so far received. It is a pleasure to be here and look forward to a very successful meeting.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
