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labour | workers’ rights

India wary as US drags labour issues into trade talks
2-Dec-2021 The Hindu BusinessLine
Labour issues may emerge as a tricky area for India in its efforts to further trade ties with the US as the Biden government is keen to make “worker-centric” matters part of the bilateral trade discussions.
UK trade talks risk ‘lending legitimacy’ to Brazil’s far-right regime, TUC claims
18-Nov-2021 The Independent
British ministers should not pursue a trade deal with the major economy while Jair Bolsonaro is in charge, trade union boss, Frances O’Grady, said.
TUC schools trade union leaders on AfCFTA
5-Nov-2021 Modern Ghana
The Trades Union Congress, Ghana, in partnership with the International Trade Union Africa has organized a capacity building training on the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement for Trade Union Leaders in the country.
Africa’s economic trade-off
2-Nov-2021 IPS
Africa’s new free trade area could transform the continent’s economy. But without strong social protections, it may result in more precarious work.
UGTT to hold workshop on prospects and challenges of trade union action under AfCFTA
27-Oct-2021 African Manager
The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) is organising a workshop on “the prospects and challenges of trade union action under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Opportunities and risks.»
Dan Tehan opens door to British workers to fill pandemic hole
18-Oct-2021 The Sydney Morning Herald
A new free-trade agreement between Canberra and London, due to be finalised within days, will make it easier for people to live and work in both countries.
The EU’s path to trade sustainability
15-Oct-2021 Euractiv
As public support for EU free trade deals is waning, civil society groups are hoping to help tighten the bloc’s standards on trade sustainability as part of an ongoing consultation.
JSCOT Committee report on RCEP supports implementation
3-Sep-2021 Scoop
AFTINET’s submission to the JSCOT RCEP argues that the RCEP has serious flaws and should be renegotiated and amended to address these flaws.
GM workers in Mexico defeat union in first test of US trade deal
20-Aug-2021 Reuters
Workers at a General Motors plant in central Mexico have voted to scrap their collective contract, opening the door for them to oust one of Mexico’s largest labor organizations as their union under a new trade deal.
US reaches deal with Mexican auto parts factory in USMCA labor complaint
11-Aug-2021 Reuters
Mexican auto parts company Tridonex agreed to ensure worker rights, pay severance and back wages to dismissed employees to settle an early labor rights complaint under the new North American trade deal.
RCEP agreement will legitimise military dictatorship in Myanmar and fails to provide benefit to Australian workers
28-Jul-2021 Mirage News
The ACTU has called on the Morrison Government not to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which includes Myanmar’s military junta, at today’s JSCOT inquiry.
US, Mexico announce resolution of GM labor dispute under trade deal
9-Jul-2021 RFI
The agreement marked the first use of the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.
It’s time to learn if the new Nafta’s worker protections have any teeth
3-Jun-2021 Quartz
Nafta did not improve the lot of most Mexican workers. But like many agreements that reduce tariffs and other obstacles to trade, Nafta was intended to boost the rights of workers in Mexico.
US, Canada, Mexico hold ’robust’ trade deal talks, downplay differences
19-May-2021 Reuters
Trade ministers held "robust" talks on the new North American trade deal and pledged to fully enforce its higher standards, while downplaying differences over a range of other irritants.
Unions want major Asia trade deal scrapped
14-May-2021 https://www.thecourier.com.au/story...
Unions have blasted Australia’s plan to sign a massive free trade deal with Asia-Pacific nations over the inclusion of military junta-controlled Myanmar.
US files first trade complaint with Mexico under USMCA
14-May-2021 AP
The USMCA allows a panel to determine whether Mexico is enforcing labor laws that allow workers to choose their union and vote on contracts and union leadership.
US unions lodge first Mexico labor grievance under new NAFTA
10-May-2021 Reuters
The AFL-CIO, the biggest US labor federation, will file the first petition for the US government to bring a labor complaint against Mexico under the USMCA trade deal.
Can trade work for workers?
20-Apr-2021 Foreign Affairs
Helping left-behind regions should be a core goal of Biden’s administration. The damage has been done, and free trade isn’t going anywhere.
ACTU condemns Morrison Government for pressing ahead with new trade agreement with military regime in Myanmar
11-Apr-2021 Mirage News
The ACTU has condemned the Federal Government at an inquiry hearing into Myanmar today for pressing ahead with ratifying the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement which includes trade with Myanmar.
First labor rights claim under the revised NAFTA filed by migrant worker women in the US — what does it mean in terms of the new labor rulebook in the region?
7-Apr-2021 Public Citizen
The complaint represents many organizations’ intentions to test if the revised NAFTA’s labor terms could be an effective tool to improve workers’ conditions.