Inordinate delays at the airports and sea-ports not only frustrate buyers and sellers, but add to the cost of living in this region.
Outlining that many legitimate business persons were frustrated with the tardiness of agencies responsible for the smooth movement of goods, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss told those gathered for the Regional Consultation on the Caricom Strategy for Regional Implementation of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement to utilise the opportunity to build better facilitation of business in the region.
He pointed out that when goods are delayed in the Port for days, someone had to pay the price for such delays, in the same situation as when importers had to pay high fees to have containers inspected outside of “normal” business hours.
“I look forward to the day in this region when normal work hours means that critical businesses operate on a 24/7 basis with reduced overtimes at exorbitant rates and a true shift system. I am afraid that most of our Ports in this region are controlled by an antiquated labour group and a style that continues to inject fear sometimes without being reasonable,” Inniss told those gathered at the Radisson Aquatica yesterday.
He continued, “When exporters have to pay workers to stand up with folded arms and watch others load vessels, I say that we frustrate not facilitate trade. When officers take their cool time to inspect items as a means of protesting new work arrangements, I say we frustrate not facilitate trade. When importers follow all known rules and regulations and yet weeks or months later cannot get an explanation as to why goods are being held up, we frustrate not facilitate trade. When we spend valuable time arguing for greater protectionist measures such as more licences, higher rates of duties and quotas as opposed to focussing on greater efficiencies, higher standards and areas of comparative advantage, we really are not doing our economies any favours – we are really just legitimising our inefficiencies and incompetencies.” (JMB)
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