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labour | workers’ rights

Democrats and labor leaders balk at lack of workers rights under CAFTA
17-Nov-2005 AXcess News
Democratic members of Congress and labor leaders say they want the Bush administration to move away from CAFTA’s failed trade model or face another tough battle in Congress.
Attracting FDI through the spread of free trade agreements
10-Nov-2005 Thai Labour Campaign
This paper shows how free trade agreements (FTAs) in Southeast Asia are essentially a means to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) at the expense of labour standards. It explores the significance of FDI in export-oriented industrialisation and for economic transformation in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the increasing global competition for FDI.
Korea pushing to mitigate impact of free trade deals
3-Nov-2005 Yonhap
South Korea is moving to provide financial assistance and other support to companies and their workers who are adversely affected by free trade agreements with foreign countries, officials said Tuesday.
Social standards in bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements
19-Oct-2005 GURN
Is the stalemate over the incorporation of core labour standards at the multilateral WTO level being compensated for by progressive promotion of labour rights in bilateral and regional agreements?
Bilateral and regional trade agreements: Report of a GURN online discussion
19-Oct-2005 GURN
In order to increase and improve trade union participation in trade agreements an online discussion was organised in March 2005, over 4 weeks, which considered the involvement of trade unions in trade agreements, the role they play and the influence they have on the final outcome of trade agreements.
Philippines hopes to seal free trade deal with Japan in November
12-Oct-2005 Dow Jones
The Philippines hopes to secure a deal with Japan by next month on the proposed free trade agreement.
AFL-CIO testimony to Senate Finance Committee on US-Bahrain FTA
12-Oct-2005 Senate Finance Committee
The Bahrain FTA provides precisely the wrong answers to the challenges faced by workers in Bahrain and the United States.
Bahrain-US FTA backed
12-Oct-2005 Gulf Daily News
Business giants in the US are backing the Free Trade Agreement with Bahrain as it comes under scrutiny in hearings at the Senate and House of Representatives in Washington.
US expects FTA with Bahrain to benefit Middle East
9-Oct-2005 Gulf News
A senior US trade official has dismissed concerns by the Senate Labor Advisory Committee, saying that "the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions General Secretary has publicly hailed Bahrain as showing the way for the region" and "the disciplines and consultative mechanism in the FTA will play a major role in further improving the labour situation in Bahrain."
Negotiations on Thai-US FTA on well progress
2-Oct-2005 MCOT
Negotiations between Thailand and the United States on a planned bilateral free trade area (FTA) are on well progress in its fifth round, with Washington agreeing in principle to protect Thai intellectual property on the Internet and to use the Thai laws to take care of the environment.
Attracting FDI through the Spread of Free Trade Agreements
30-Sep-2005 Thai Labour Campaign
This paper shows how free trade agreements (FTAs) in Southeast Asia are essentially a means to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) at the expense of labour standards. It explores the significance of FDI in export-oriented industrialisation and for economic transformation in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the increasing global competition for FDI.
The importance of the FTA to Thailand
30-Sep-2005 American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand
Ambassador Nitya Pibulsonggram, the chief negotiator for the Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement, spoke to AMCHAM members on May 25, 2005 about the importance of the FTA to Thailand.
Democrats press labor ahead of Bahrain FTA vote
30-Sep-2005 ABC News
US Democrats pressed Bahrain on Thursday to change its labor laws before an expected vote in Congress this year on a bilateral free trade pact with the tiny kingdom known as the Gulf’s banking hub.
US responsive to Thai concerns
22-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
US congressmen have pledged to accommodate Thailand’s concerns about drug prices and freer mobility for Thais into the United States once the two countries conclude their free trade area (FTA) agreement.
Aggressive response suggested to US push
10-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
Thailand should be more aggressive in its response to the US push for environmental and labour protection under the bilateral free trade area (FTA) agreement, a seminar sponsored by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) was told.
Concerns surface over new Andean free trade agreement
8-Sep-2005 New Standard
Barely a month after Congress bypassed labor and environmentalists concerns to pass a free-trade agreement with several Central American nations, a proposal to expand tariff-free-trade zones among the Americas appears headed for ratification, prompting a new round of criticisms and concerns from a handful of human rights and international labor organizations.
RP-Japan economic deal still on hold
8-Sep-2005 Manila Standard Today
The number of Filipino nurses and caregivers who will be allowed to enter Tokyo under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) remains to be among the contentious issues preventing both parties from sealing a bilateral accord.
Official: CAFTA would hurt Mexico industry
18-Aug-2005 BusinessWeek
Mexico’s assembly-for-export industry, which has struggled to compete with China, will likely be hurt further by the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement, officials said Wednesday.
US-Thailand: FTA talks may improve work conditions
9-Aug-2005 Bangkok Post
The Thailand-US free area trade talks may help improve working standards of local labour through adequate law enforcement, according to Tim De Meyer, a specialist with the International Labour Organisation in Bangkok.
Labor issues to delay Japan-Philippines FTA
1-Jul-2005 Asia Times
The signing of an economic partnership agreement between Japan and the Philippines is likely to be pushed back to at least the end of the year due to disagreements over investment protections and quotas for care providers.