GEORGETOWN, Guyana — A 15-member Caribbean trade bloc is considering layoffs and travel cuts to reduce a budget that already has been frozen for three years.


Guyana-based Caricom has been operating on a roughly $18 million budget since 2008. Trade Chief Irwin LaRocque said Saturday that more cuts are needed because members have not been meeting their annual contributions.

Ministers failed to agree on a 2011 budget in December. They are scheduled to meet again in late February.

Caricom expects to cut back on travel this year by relying on video conferencing for the more than 100 meetings scheduled annually in the region.

Several of Caricom's more than 200 staffers also will be dismissed but LaRocque declined to provide details.