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labour | workers’ rights


Govt accused of selling out workers for free trade deals
Labor activists on Monday accused the government of selling out Indonesian workers by signing free trade agreements with foreign countries.
Colombians to protest FTA on May Day
Rejection of the approval of the free trade agreement with the US will be a main motivation for Colombians to celebrate the International Worker’s Day.
Unions back ALP to negotiate China FTA
Unions have given Labor the go ahead to negotiate a free trade deal with China after the ALP agreed to address fears about potential job losses in Australia.
Union solidarity forces new look at Colombia trade deal
Prospects for passage of Bush’s free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia are dwindling in the face of pressure on Congress from U.S. and Colombian unions coupled with widespread reports of anti-labor atrocities, and new evidence of Colombian paramilitary and government collusion with the violent union repression.
AMWU warns China free trade deal risks 170,000 jobs
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union’s analysis of a potential free trade agreement between Australia and China predicts around 170,000 job losses in manufacturing if the agreement goes ahead. Since implementing previous agreements with the US, Thailand and Singapore, AMWU says an estimated 26,000 jobs have been lost as a result, almost all in the manufacturing sector.
Corporate accountability: Is self regulation the answer?
The globalization of trade and investment flows has been paralleled by the emergence of Codes of Conduct. Although the first corporate code of conduct was created by the International Chamber of Commerce in 1949, the 1990s witnessed a plethora of voluntary codes and corporate social responsibility guidelines.
US trade pacts at risk over business-labor clash
Bush administration efforts to reach a deal with the US Congress on trade were thrown into doubt on Thursday as US business and labor groups clashed over the core issue in the talks.
El Salvador: Spanish firm advocates, then breaks labour laws
The Spanish tuna-fishing and processing company Grupo Calvo has been accused of serious anti-union practices in El Salvador. The paradox is that Calvo had insisted that this Central American country approve labour laws required by the European Union for the purpose of obtaining tariff exemptions, as a condition for continuing to invest here.
KCTU union member dies from self-immolation attempt in protest of the KOR-US FTA
On 11:23 am, April 15th, KCTU union member, Bro. Heo Se-Wook, passed away from septicemia as a result of the massive immune system response to the third degree burns all over his body after he attempted to commit suicide by setting himself on fire as an act of resistance against the KORUS FTA on April 1st.
Labor Affairs chief to rally US FTA support
Council of Labor Affairs Chairman Lee Ying-yuan has left for the United States to clear up misunderstanding over Taiwan’s labor policy.
Michigan pays high price for free trade agreements
As a proud Michigan native, I’m angry about the dire financial conditions facing the state and its families. Michigan has fallen from its boom days primarily because our good-paying manufacturing jobs have been exported.
Labor in limbo under FTA with US
Korea’s labor market is emerging as a hot-button issue in the South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA). If the US Congress and other stakeholders continue to request to add or modify some labor provisions in the agreement, it could prompt South Korea to lose support for the deal at home because domestic business circles may oppose the request.
Negotiator says US may have to reopen FTA discussion on labor, other provisions
The United States may have to renegotiate labor and possibly other provisions in its free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, a senior official said Wednesday. A South Korean official had said Tuesday that Seoul considers the labor chapter of the agreement closed.
South Korean workers demand free trade deal with US be canceled
Thousands of South Korean workers took to the streets of the capital Saturday, demanding that a just-concluded free trade agreement between their country and the United States be scrapped.
FTA to increase jobless: Korea Labor Institute
The Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) will increase the number of irregular workers and jobless, according to experts and unionists.
Indo-Qatari labour pact to be amended soon
Sacking Indian employees at will could be reduced drastically in Qatar, if not eliminated, when a 1985 bilateral labour agreement is amended soon.
US-Korea trade deal disappoints labor, rights activists
Trade unionists on both sides of the Pacific expressed disappointment Monday after the United States and South Korea agreed the biggest US trade pact in 15 years with only minutes to go before a deadline.
Labor groups boycott S Korea-US FTA deal
Korean labor groups voiced their strong opposition to the just-reached deal between South Korea and the United States to effectively dismantle their tariff barriers. The groups vowed to launch a campaign to nullify the free trade agreement deal (FTA) and even threatened to attempt to oust President Roh Moo-hyun.
KCTU union member attempting self-immolation as an act of resistance KORUS FTA!
Around 3:55 pm, April 1st 2007, Bro. Heo Se-Wook (54), a union member of KCTU, was attempting to suicide by self-immolation as an act of resistance against the Korea-US FTA negotiation. His health condition is very serious and receiving an emergency medical treatment at the Hangang Scared Heart Hospital. We need your solidarity and support.
“Trade for Peace with Israel” falls short
The next time your Wal-Mart sweatpants read “Made in Jordan QIZ” on the label, consider the relationship between economic integration and peace. The truth might not be what you expect.