The National Assembly yesterday unanimously passed an amendment that will see free movement in the region for more categories of skilled labour, even as government members tried to defend the PPP/C’s record in office after criticism over the migration of skills.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett piloted the bill through the House and said that it “represented one additional but important step being taken by the government to meet its obligations under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and more particularly the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) in relation to free movement of people.”

The Caribbean Community (Free Entry of Skilled Nationals) (Amendment) Bill 2011 will see the widening of the categories of ‘skilled nationals’ eligible for a “Schedule II Certificate,” commonly called a “CSME certificate,” which allows persons to…..