Pay talks resume
The St Lucian Prime Minister, Stephenson King, was to meet labour leaders yesterday to try to head off more unrest.
The government, citing its tight finances, has asked unions to defer a promised 7.5 percent pay increase, which was due in April.
The Trade Union Federation has rejected the proposal, and public sector workers went on strike last month.
The federation’s president Julian Monrose has warned the Prime Minister against carrying out the job cuts the government says might be necessary.
Mr Monroe said government could set a better example of financial housekeeping by pruning spending in other areas.
Jamaica minimum wage goes up
The minimum wage in Jamaica went up yesterday by 10 percent.
Workers will earn at least US$46 a week.
Labour Minister Pearnel Charles said the government wants to raise 5Jamaicans’ standard of living, but without hurting employers.
Jamaicans complain that salaries are not keeping pace with rising prices.
The nation last increased minimum wages in January, by nearly 17 percent.
Tourists shun Mexico, embrace Caribbean amid flu
There is more evidence that some western Caribbean nations are benefiting as vacationers once bound for Mexico turn to new destinations amid worries about swine flu.
Travel agents in the United States say they are aggressively recommending Jamaica and the Dominican Republic as alternatives because they are close and affordable.
But there is a downside.
Barbara Gomez, a Pennsylvania-based agent with the Tripology travel service, said the seats are selling out so quickly that airline fares have started to go up.
Hugh Riley, the interim secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, told BBC Caribbean that it was too early to talk of a definitive trend.
Campaigners push for amnesty
Thousands of people are taking part in church services and a rally in London in support of an amnesty for illegal immigrants in the UK.
The campaign, run by a coalition of civil society groups, is calling for an estimated 450,000 long-term illegal immigrants to be allowed to become citizens.
To qualify for the proposed measure, illegal immigrants would have to fulfil conditions including residence of at least four years and character references.
Haiti gets crop help
In Haiti, one NGO is using simple technology to increase crop yields and protect the environment.
One of the objectives of the group, known as Double Harvest, is to reforest the country.
Their nursery holds three million tree seedlings, including varieties like pine, oak and eucalyptus.
The process of producing these seedlings depends on a simple box called a root trainer which helps in root growth.
