By Liz Rahaman
Short on being specific about a particular dateline, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, on Tuesday announced that nurses and teachers would now join several other categories of professionals to work without a work permit in any member state of the Caribbean Community.
The Heads have taken a decision to fast track the implementation to allow the free movement of nurses and teachers with almost immediate effect, he told regional journalists, during a press briefing at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank .
He is hopeful that by the end of the year the full implementation for these categories of workers would become a reality.
“Because of the commitment by the Heads to ensure we see the ac celeration of free movement of persons throughout the region, we decided to revisit these categories with a view to include immediately certain groups of persons/professionals,” Skerrit said. “And there was a proposal before us to include teachers and nurses without a degree, Artisans and persons working in the hospitality sector.”
Citing intra-regional recruitment of these professionals, especially nurses, Skerrit, who shared the press briefing with Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, said this occurrence would be an unfair possibility.
“We do not see that happening at all because of the appreciative understanding among ourselves, it is done with a view at ensuring that it would not place another country in a most difficult situation.”
In this context, he pointed out that in recent years, employers from the more developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have carried out mass recruitment exercises for the region’s nurses and teachers.
In relation to the free movement of artisans (craftsmen), domestics and hospitality workers, he has been mandated to revisit the policies and mechanisms on these categories at the national level.
The policy regarding free movement of artisans has been placed for discussion at next year’s Intra-Sessional Meeting, usually held in March, when a concrete decision is likely to be made on this category of skilled persons.
Trinidad and Tobago, which faces a current shortage of such skill and has an ongoing agreement with sister states to supply the requisite personnel, has requested that this category of workers be included in the free movement.
In keeping with the protocols of the Single Market and Economy in 2005, Heads of Government implemented the free movement of skills throughout the Caribbean region.
In 2006, persons with an associate degree or its equivalent, including journalists, graduates, musicians, artists and sports persons were issued with Certificates of Recognition to move and work freely.
To date, some 3,500 certificates have been issued throughout the region.
As of next year, persons with CXC ‘O’Levels or the e quivalent would be allowed to move freely while it is envisaged that by 2008, all other CARICOM nationals would be allowed to move and work freely across member countries.
