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I am pleased to address this joint COHSOD and ILO Meeting of CARICOM Labour Ministers and to express my appreciation to both .CARICOM and ILO for the arrangements made and to the Government of Guyana for its hospitality
It is true to say that CARICOM Member States demonstrated their commitment to policy coherence and the decent work agenda with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973, and again through the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community. In Article 46 of the Treaty provision is made for the establishment of appropriate legislative, administrative and procedural arrangements to facilitate the movement of skills, and for the movement of Community nationals into and within their jurisdictions without harassment or the imposition of impediments. Provision is also made for the elimination of the requirement for passports or work permits for community nationals seeking approved employment; the establishment of mechanisms for certifying and establishing equivalency of degrees and for accrediting institutions; and the harmonization and transferability of social security benefits. All Member States have signed on to the free movement of the categories provided for under Article 46. This augurs well for the movement of Labour in the CARICOM Single Market. The problem resides in the application and implementation of the provisions of this article In his address the Secretary General has placed the free movement process in the context of overall regional developments and has made it very clear that while there are certain outstanding issues to be pursued, by and large the free movement agenda is gradually being implemented . As a member of the OECS “free movement” now is not an issue. It is fully implemented and I look forward to this being the case in the wider CARICOM Region in the near future Almost unnoticed however is the implementation of the 1997 CARICOM Agreement on Social Security by which an increasing number of Member States are participating in the harmonizing of social security schemes by providing for the transferability of social security benefits to all migrants. This and several of the various labour regulations and model legislative programmes that have been designed are commendable features of the process of Labour and development in this Community to which the Secretary General has provided details There are however issues in the policy agenda that affect labour directly that I would like to identify briefly First, the signing of CARIFOURM-EPA Agreement in 2008 is definitely an example of the Region’s commitment to promoting sustainable economic and social development It however raises the questions as to: what is the status of EPA implementation?; what progress has been made in the modifications to the development agenda within the agreement?; what role is labour expected to play in the implementation of EPA?. Hopefully, CARICOM will convene a special session to elaborate on this issue and to get Labour as a critical sector involved in process. Second, the coherence of the regional labour system requires the completion of the project for the standardization of CARICOM labour market information systems (LMIS). Indeed, in light of the recent technological advancements, I believe that the time has come for the creation of a regional labour market information network which interconnects national labour market information systems, thereby providing a wide range of online, real time data and statistical information on the regional labour market. CARICOM and ILO can partner to accelerate the implementation of this activity as a major contribution to Policy coherence Third, the issue of MIGRATION and its implications for the Labour Market is in need of urgent attention. Migration is a fundamental feature of the Region contributing both positively and negatively to the economies and societies. There is an increasing outflow of highly skilled migrants as well as an increasing feminization of migration. A recent IMF Study (IMF, 2006) shows that 70 per cent of the CARICOM workforce with tertiary level education have migrated to industrialized countries particularly Britain, Canada and the United States. Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines have the highest tertiary emigration rates in the region followed by Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Kitts and Nevis. This out flow of skilled workers is highest among health care workers and teachers. While it may be argued that this movement opens up opportunities for labour linkages, which if properly managed can be the basis of economic hubs, and provide a useful skills bank on which to draw, the organization to accommodate a continuous flow of returning skills on a temporary basis would be quite administratively demanding and costly. While remittances from aboard are estimated to account for 8 per cent of the Region’s GDP, it is clear that these cannot replace net losses of human capital. In light of the current global recession remittance flows fell in 2009 but are expected to recover in 2010 and 2011 (World Bank, 2009). In this regard, active policies should be pursued for attracting investments from the Caribbean Diaspora and utilizing its membership as useful resources for development progrmames in the Region and advocates for Caribbean positions abroad A fourth issue relates to GENDER AND LABOUR: The CARICOM Plan of Action to 2005: Framework for Mainstreaming Gender into Key CARICOM Programmes focuses on integrating gender and labour issues. Although there has been legislative, educational and labour-related progress of women, this has not necessarily translated into labour market gains. There is also continuing gender disparity in terms of both opportunities and quality of employment. Female employment-to-population ratios have generally increased over time but remain at levels well below those of men. They are disproportionately represented in poorly-paid, insecure, part-time, home-based or informal work and continue to be undervalued when it comes to equal pay for work of equal value. It is in this regard that the importance of labour market information and analysis for informed policy-making is further emphasized. However, steps have been taken towards building a society based on the concept of gender justice. I am pleased to see that the Secretary General has recently appointed a CARICOM advocate for Gender Justice Many of the recommendations for achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all include women and youth. The new MDG target for Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger, introduces policies that promote gender justice and equity in the public and private sphere, and identifies a viable labour market as a vital aspect of poverty
I merely used these four illustrations as possible areas that as Ministers of Labour we ought to promote both nationally and regionally as we seek to advance the agenda for policy coherence in human resource development and the promotion of the decent work agenda. I hope we can pursue theses issues further during the course of this meeting and I look forward to you cooperation in making this meeting a success. |
