CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC-The OECS Secretariat and the European Union have entered into arrangement to among other things boost Private Sector competitiveness in the OECS Economic Union. The Castries based Secretariat and the European Delegation in Barbados have signed a funding Protocol to provide financial support to OECS Member States under the aegis of the 10th European Development Fund. OECS Director General Dr.
Saint Lucia
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Police Commissioner Vernon Francois is calling on Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to implement measures, including the CARICOM Warrant Arrest treaty, which will ensure criminals are brought to justice. Francois said the introduction of the treaty has become imperative given the widespread increase in organised crime across the regional community. "With the increase in criminal activity we are seeing within the community and the ubiquitous nature of organised crime, the full implementation of the pact will help bring criminals to justice," he said.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has cautioned public service unions here that if common ground cannot be met in on-going negotiations, his administration would have no option but to consider taking the matter to arbitration.
Two weeks after the parties returned to the negotiating table, they remain at odds over the wage increases for the period 2010-13, despite both sides indicating they wished to settle the matter as soon as possible.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC-Attorney’s representing Speaker of the House of Assembly, Peter Foster, have demanded an apology from Opposition Leader Stephenson King over remarks in which he accused Foster of conflict of interest surrounding the inquiry into the St. Lucia Fire Service.
In a statement last week King claimed that Foster’s law firm had been hired as Counsel to the Commission while he was also representing a media house which the Chief Fire Officer has sued for defamation.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC-Prime Minister Kenny Anthony has expressed concern over the impact of the new visa information sharing agreement between Canada and the United States.
The agreement allows both countries to share information about third country nationals who apply for a visa or permit to travel to either the US or Canada.
The agreement which was signed last month follows a decision made by the Government of Canada in September last year to impose visa restrictions on St. Lucians.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC- St Lucia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony believes Haiti’s recovery efforts after the devastating earthquake in 2010 has the potential to create an employment boom in the construction sector. Speaking on the anniversary of the earthquake, he noted that during a recent visit to the country there were signs that the country is on the road to recovery. Earlier this month Anthony attended a meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Bureau in Haiti to pass on the Chairmanship of CARICOM to the President of Haiti.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC- President of the Trade Union Federation (TUF) Julian Monrose has accused Prime Minister Kenny Anthony of attacking Civil Servants by accusing them of being greedy, unproductive and unpatriotic. The TUF President was responding to this weeks’ address to the nation in which Prime Minister Anthony outlined the islands fiscal situation in response to public servants demands for an 16% salary increase.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony is heading a two-member delegation to Venezuela for a meeting of PetroCaribe, an initiative of Caracas allowing many Caribbean countries to purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment.
St. Lucia has not joined the alliance that was launched in 2005, but a government statement said that attending the meeting would allow Castries to have an updated assessment of the initiative.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Trade union officials were keeping mum on Tuesday, one day after Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony indicated that while his government is anxious to bring closure to the wage and salary negotiations involving public servants it is not going to endorse salaries that would force the island into the clutches of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Anthony met with the members of the Trade Union Federation (TUF) after the trade unionists met in an emergency session on Monday.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government says while it is anxious to bring closure to the wage and salary negotiations involving public servants it is not going to endorse salaries that would further affect the economic situation in the country and force the island into the clutches of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).