CARICOM unity at risk, labour leader warns

The head of the nation’s labour union umbrella warned that growing political fractures within CARICOM could erode the region’s strength and stability, especially as Caribbean governments remain silent on recent United States military action against Venezuela.

General Secretary of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB), Dennis de Peiza, said the organisation was alarmed that there had been no clear or unanimous condemnation from regional leaders over what he called a military incursion by the United States into Venezuela.

He warned that this failure to speak out carried serious implications for the Caribbean as a zone of peace, as well as for its economic, social and political stability, and ultimately the survival of the CARICOM project.

CTUSAB threw its support behind Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who has urged member states to stand together through unity, shared sacrifice and mutual respect.

But it said it was deeply concerned about comments attributed to Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who reportedly described CARICOM as “dysfunctional and self-destructive”.

Any suggestion that Trinidad and Tobago would not align with CARICOM’s collective political, economic or security policies highlighted a worrying trend of political division that could weaken the regional bloc, he said.

He cautioned that such rhetoric risked repeating the mistakes that led to the collapse of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1962.

“This congress is very much concerned that if the heads of government and regional organisations do not fully engage and assess what is happening, we risk weakening ourselves,” de Peiza said, adding that Caribbean states—small as they are—occupy a key strategic space and must act together on the global stage.

He also pointed to growing pressure from the United States, including travel advisories and visa restrictions on several Caribbean countries, warning that these developments make regional unity more urgent than ever.

At the same time, DePeiza acknowledged that heavy dependence on the US tourism market remained a concern but urged CARICOM to move faster on economic diversification.

“I believe that nations should be able to feed themselves,” he said, noting that countries such as Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados collectively have the capacity to supply food for the region.

He criticised the Caribbean’s reliance on the US and Europe, saying it left regional economies exposed to external shocks and policy changes beyond their control.

“Why can’t we find ways to develop industries in the region that create employment and reduce dependency?” he asked. “We can become an export capital of the world, but instead we expect everything to come from outside.”

DePeiza urged regional leaders to think more progressively and make real changes to their national and regional agendas to secure long-term growth.

“They have the power to bring about change,” he said. “If we want different results, we cannot continue doing the same things over and over again.”