Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has told regional labour ministers that “business as usual is no longer a viable option” for Caribbean economies. Speaking at the opening of the eighth International Labour Organisation (ILO) Caribbean Labour Ministers meeting yesterday, the Prime Minister said the onus was on Caribbean leaders to focus more fundamentally on labour issues in the face of growing economic challenges. “No country can survive without workers,” she said.
Labour Minister Errol McLeod argued that labour was “both a pillar and driver of sustainable economic development.” He said the sector was also “an essential ingredient for the sustainable development of the Caribbean. Nineteen Caribbean ministers are in T&T for the meeting which, for the first time, is being attended by an ILO director general, recently-appointed former International Trade Union Congress (ITUC) general secretary Guy Ryder.
Avoiding direct mention of current conflicts between the Government and sections of the labour movement, McLeod instead chose to refer to the international challenges to Caribbean development. “The ebb and flow of the global tide is most evident and we in the Caribbean must ensure that we are ready, able and capable of not only staying afloat but of riding the waves to propel our growth,” he said.
McLeod added: “In the midst of this whirlpool, however, lie seeds of opportunity and we must be prepared to seize them and to work towards enriching and enhancing the lives of our citizens.” Caricom secretary-general Irwin LaRocque who also addressed the Caribbean ministers, said the state of economies in the Caribbean warranted a closer look at the role of labour in development
He expressed concern about what he described as gaps” in skill levels in the labour market and pointed to the fact that youth unemployment was double the rate among older age groups. Ryder also spoke of the high incidence of youth unemployment globally and warned that even in the face of economic recovery it was important to ensure there was “job-rich growth”, and economies needed to grow in ways that created jobs.
In an earlier session with LaRocque there was agreement on beginning a review of the memorandum of association between the ILO and Caricom. According to one Caricom official, there was need to “update and strengthen” the relationship and a new resolve to focus more heavily on youth unemployment.