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labour | workers’ rights

US steps up pressure on Guatemala to enforce labor laws
19-May-2011 AFL-CIO
The Obama administration announced yesterday that because Guatemala has not taken sufficient steps to effectively enforce its labor laws, as required under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), it is requesting a meeting of the Free Trade Commission.
Workforce initiatives put brakes on controversial free trade deals—for now
19-May-2011 In These Times
Lawmakers and corporations have worked hard these past few weeks to cinch a slew of free trade agreements in Congress, eager to repeat the tried-and-true formula of shifting jobs overseas and undermining working conditions at home and abroad. But just as the ink was starting to dry, something got in the way: workers.
Kirk asks trade panel to investigate Guatemala labor rights
17-May-2011 Bloomberg
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk asked an international commission to investigate Guatemala’s alleged failure to enforce worker protections, the first labor case brought by the US against a trade-accord partner.
White House threatens to hold up key trade deals
16-May-2011
The White House is threatening to hold up final passage of three coveted free trade agreements unless lawmakers expand retraining assistance for American workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition.
MINBYUN calls for disclosure about KORUS FTA visas
16-May-2011
South Korean civic organization MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society filed an administrative lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) on May 15, demanding that the ministry make public a letter on professional worker visa quotas that former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Hyun-chong is said to have received from the U.S. administration.
Congress poised to pass Colombia deal: Baucus
11-May-2011
A top senator said on Wednesday he expected Congress to soon pass a free trade agreement with Colombia despite the continued strong opposition of the largest U.S. labor group.
Vietnam plans to raise labor standards before FTA negotiations
10-May-2011 Vietnam Birdge
Until now, Vietnam has not signed any bilateral or multilateral trade agreements with provisions on labor standards. The TPP may change this.
AFL-CIO remains opposed to Colombia trade deal
7-Apr-2011 AFL CIO
"We have no doubt that if 51 CEOs had been murdered in Colombia last year, this deal would be on a very slow track indeed," says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
USW joins Colombian unions in opposition to proposed FTA
7-Apr-2011 USW
The United Steelworkers is both disappointed and outraged to learn that the Obama Administration has apparently reached an agreement with Colombia over a free trade agreement.
Unions seek labour justice under free trade deal
7-Apr-2011 IPS
"My brother was murdered, and we’re still the victims of threats and harassment, which is why we filed the petition" under the free trade agreement signed with the United States by Central America and the Dominican Republic, (DR-CAFTA), said Guatemalan trade unionist Noé Ramírez.
US-Colombia deal on labour rights met with scepticism
7-Apr-2011 IPS
Largely hailed by Republican lawmakers, the preliminary details of the deal, dubbed an "Action Plan for Labour Rights", were received sceptically by some Democrat representatives, while labour and rights groups noted that they lacked breadth, depth, and accountability measures.
Colombia is said to reach labor deal with US to advance trade agreement
7-Apr-2011 Bloomberg
Colombia and the US may announce a deal as soon as today on measures clearing the way for a stalled free-trade agreement, according to six people familiar with the talks.
$130 million NAFTA payout sets troubling precedent
23-Mar-2011 CCPA
Why should a provincial government be punished for doing the right thing?
Korea-U.S. free-trade agreement will cost jobs
6-Mar-2011
The Obama administration’s trade policy has a huge flaw. It promotes exports but fails to address imports, which is a big mistake. This flaw is highlighted by Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez’s image of "trucks traveling down the (Highway) 101 loaded with everything from produce to electronics," as it neglects the job-killing side on trade.
EE. UU. amenaza por situación laboral
3-Mar-2011 Prensa Libre
EE. UU. expresó ayer insatisfacción por la forma como Guatemala resuelve sus preocupaciones respecto del cumplimiento de los derechos laborales, y adelantó que ante la falta de una respuesta adecuada, tendrá que tomar medidas.
Stop cheap goods from China: AWU
2-Mar-2011
The Australian Workers Union (AWU) has renewed its calls for the federal government to protect jobs and producers from Chinese companies dumping subsidised goods in the local market.
India “wants” thousands of extra EU visas under trade deal
21-Feb-2011 The Hindu
According to media reports, India wants up to 50,000 extra visas a year spread across EU’s 27 member-States under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement with Britain said to be under pressure to cough up 20,000 of these.
Teamsters head opposes Korean trade pact
18-Feb-2011 DN
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, in a break from the Obama administration and the United Auto Workers union, opposes the Korea free trade agreement. "The last thing America’s middle class needs right now is ’Son of NAFTA,’ " Hoffa said.
Solidarity in action: Unionists across North America to protest for Mexican workers’ rights
18-Feb-2011 In These Times
This week, people across the United States and Canada will demonstrate at Mexican consulates and embassies in protest of violations of the right to organize in Mexico. Of particular concern to protesters will be the bitter strikes and repression of unions representing miners and electrical workers, and the escalating practice of government and corporate entities forcibly installing company unions known there as “protection unions.”
Free trade deal will be bad for workers
11-Feb-2011 Portland Insight
The International Trade Commission even predicts that the US service sector will be a net loser as a result of the US-Korea pact.