Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur hails CSME membership 'historic'

The leaders of Jamaica, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago have welcomed the free trade zone that will allow goods, services and skilled workers to move more easily throughout the region.

Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur called it “…historic,” while Caricom Secretary General Edwin Carrington said the agreement was “…an important psychological and political step for the Caribbean.”

According to Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning, another six Caricom member states will join the single market by March; one of them will be St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The trade unions there say they are optimistic about the possible economic and social benefits.

Noel Jackson, the general secretary of the National Workers Movement, is hoping that Vincentian and other Caricom workers will take advantage of the CSME.

Migrant concerns

But the free movement issue has raised some concerns about a possible flood of migrants within the Caribbean.

There is already strong debate in Bridgetown about the number of Guyanese living and working in Barbados. BBC Caribbean Report's David Ellis says there are lessons coming out of that debate.

“What the Guyanese issue has done is to throw up to us that the region as a whole needs to think through certain implications associated with the freedom of movement.”

“While we have not gone full speed ahead with the freeing up of the movement of people, this situation indicates to us that where people move freely, there will be some potential tensions. For instance, I think that we must, at the regional level examine the question of people’s rights.”