(WINN): The Premier of Montserrat, Reuben Meade, called for the complete removal of work permits across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), saying the move is vital to achieving true regional integration and free movement of people within the subregion.
Well, the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, he said, is included in an arrangement that was agreed upon by the ‘unitary state’ of Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat, where there are no work permit restrictions among them. He suggests that other territories within the OECS be a part of the initiative.
“One of the things which we have developed over the years is that in the unitary state of Antigua-Barbuda and Montserrat, there are no work permit restrictions amongst us, and we have included St. Kitts and Nevis in that. We can now broaden that to the rest of the OECS.”
Speaking at the 7th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Trade at the View Point Hotel in Montserrat on October 16, the Montserratian Premier said it was time for member states to remove the barriers that continue to divide the people of the Eastern Caribbean. Meade emphasised that work permits, which restrict citizens from seeking employment in neighbouring islands, should be a thing of the past.
Premier Meade expressed that if the people of the OECS are to truly benefit from regional integration, work permits must be abolished.
“Work permits across the OECS must go. You do not need to have a work permit, no matter where you are.”
The OECS was founded on the principle of unity and shared prosperity. The free movement regime is a core component of the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union, established on June 18, 2010, under the revised Treaty of Basseterre.
The Premier of Montserrat declared that eliminating work permits would not only make it easier for professionals with degrees but also for skilled workers to find opportunities across the region.
“Now, we’ve heard discussions about the professionals being able to move and work freely- the doctors, the lawyers, etc., we also need to ensure we broaden that to include our farmers, our labourers, our construction workers, no matter who they are or what skill they represent, they should be able to travel in the same manner as our professional. Let us not discriminate,” he said. “
Some people have argued that despite having a single economic space, some regulations across the member states still treat OECS nationals like foreigners in their own community. However, others have expressed security and labour market concerns.
Meanwhile, Premier Meade explained that immigration systems across member states need to be adequately prepared for a change, where people of the OECS are given freedom to roam and work without barriers.
“We should be able to operate across the OECS as if it is one unitary state, where we do not need a passport to travel, but a simple identification card and that our driver’s licenses be acceptable across the entire sub-region. Anyone coming from any part of the OECS should not only be given a 6-month stamp by the immigration departments across the OECS, but be given an indefinite stamp so that they can remain wherever they wish to go and work within the OECS.”
Premier Meade reiterated a call to his colleagues, urging them to join the initiative between St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat and Antigua and Barbuda by taking concrete steps toward implementing the free movement of labour.
In conversation with a WINN FM reporter, a dual citizen of St. Kitts- Nevis and Montserrat expressed, “Most of these leaders only talk integration, they have not taken any real action for us to live integration.”
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There’s no need to expand this. St. Kitts, Montserrat, and Antigua represent the historical Leeward Islands. Countries outside of the Leeward Islands will only dump their criminals on us.