CARICOM plans staff reduction to save $$

A report by the Associated Press (AP) news agency Monday said the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is facing a financial crisis and the Guyana-based secretariat may have to send home some of its 200 workers this year.

AP attributed the information a CARICOM official. The agency quoted Assistant Secretary-General for Trade and Economic Integration, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, as saying future savings could come from a cut to travel budgets with CARICOM making greater use of video conferencing.

LaRocque told AP the Secretariat’s annual budget has been frozen since 2008 and predicted that additional budget cuts might become necessary since CARICOM’s 15 members have not been meeting their annual contributions.