The subregion is politically divided over the issue of labour conditions in WTO agreements. Most governments and the employers are opposed to a sanction approach, while unions appear to favour it. Trust in the fairness of multilateral agreements is low, in particular, in the light of the banana issue, which the countries of the subregion interpret as favouring the interests of the rich countries. However, by actively seeking the revival of the US Caribbean Basin Initiative, countries had to accept bilateral labour conditionalities stipulated in the new Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act and the possibility of a politically motivated siding with the US position on the social clause is not to be discarded.

On the other hand, the Caribbean countries have willingly responded to the ILO call for the ratification of fundamental labour standards. Many countries see the need for such ratification not so much because they would have a problem with any of the fundamental labour standards, but because they understand that globalization requires a framework that would protect them against undue competition on the basis of unfair labour practices. Their strategic interest in the recognition of fundamental labour standards is that they offer a protection for their own vulnerability and hold the potential of an upward harmonization of labour conditions to which they aspire.

Beyond the fundamental standards, owing to the relatively strong union influence in this region, ILO standards are well respected and ratifications are an ongoing issue, often dealt with in the framework of tripartite committees. ILO standards do provide the principal reference for the formulation and revision of labour legislation, including at the level of CARICOM which has adopted a declaration that enshrines a commitment to ILO standards and which has formulated a series of model labour laws.

The ILO contributes to the successful realization of this strategy in the following ways:

• Promoting the follow-up to the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
• Reinforcing the recognition and the application of international labour standards
• Enhancing the capacity of the tripartite constituency to live up to the obligations that go with the ratification of these standards
• Generating a capacity and commitment to actively contribute to the formulation and revision of ILS so that ILS are perceived as reflecting the countries' own aspirations to set benchmarks and not as an imposition
• Offering assistance in the formulation and revision of labour legislation
• Persuading enterprises to bring management practices in line with ILO's fundamental labour standards and to accept ILS as social benchmarks.

1. The subregional project Promotion of Management-labour cooperation (PROMALCO) which is funded under the USDOL/ILO Declaration programme started operations in November 2000. The project is geared to promoting freedom of association and collective bargaining at the enterprise level.

2. Leading Caribbean business and union leaders, academics, and government officials met in Port of Spain in January 2001 to review and discuss approaches for labour-management cooperation. This took place within the framework of the 1st Caribbean Enterprise Forum which also examined best practices in the Caribbean promoted enterprise strategies that linked fundamental labour standards, decent work and enterprise competitiveness. This was the first activity under the USDOL funded project on the Promotion of Management - Labour Cooperation (PROMALCO).

3. In May 2001, the Office, in collaboration with Enterprise, HQ, conducted a one day consultation with 10 leading Caribbean-based multinationals and larger corporations on the Global Compact. The meeting resulted in suggestions for ILO management training on the Global Compact.

4. ILO desk Officers received a training/refresher course on ILO standards and procedures at a sub-regional workshop organized in Port of Spain in March 2001. At the workshop, technical advice and assistance was provided on country-specific issues and problems related to reporting obligations. The aim was to improve the quality and timeliness of government reports to the ILO and government participation in ILO standards-related activities.

5. Trade union officials in Guyana and Suriname participated in a workshop on ILS in November 2001.

6. At the beginning of 2001, within the framework of IPEC, ILO/CAMAT began implementation of a child labour country programme for Jamaica. The programme is building on the work already initiated by revising the existing programme proposals, taking into account the findings of the Rapid Assessment on Child Prostitution undertaken in 2000, and assisting in establishing the institutional framework for a National Steering Committee. Among the first major activities under the programme are three baseline studies in three key areas - fishing communities, tourism and the informal sector. These studies began in May 2001.

7. The ILO also coordinates the production of a child labour survey for Belize.

8. The Office has recently received approval for a CIDA funded project on the Identification, elimination and prevention of worst forms of child labour in the Anglophone and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. The project will contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean by developing the sub-regional capacity for the promotion and effective national implementation of policies and programmes that give effect to Convention 182. Preparatory work has commenced.

9. Throughout all of 2000 and into the first half of 2001, the Office has been providing assistance to the Government of Saint Lucia in the drafting of a new labour code. The draft document was delivered to the Government in April 2001 and a tripartite meeting to discuss the draft was held in May 2001.

10. Employers in Trinidad and Tobago participated in a one-day seminar in November 2000 on key aspects of new labour law.