The only barbs I've owned where a pair of 7" Barbus schwanefeldi, so my experience with barbs is limited, but I've heard that barbs are known for being nippy and I'm guessing they, like most fish, will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. I did not observe that kind of behavior with mine, then again that might have been because they were preoccupied with trying to get away from my 1' Oscar...
However, do to the max size of cherry barbs, they might be compatible and non-threatening toward the shrimp. My main concern would be that the barbs have been in tank first and may be territorial towards the shrimp because of this, but if you have ample cover, they should be ok.
Maybe you could do a trial run of sorts and if the barbs appear to be aggressive toward the shrimp, you can move them to another tank.
Just an idea.