Washington, D.C. – United States Trade Representative Michael Froman today announced that the dispute settlement process in the 2011 labor enforcement case brought under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) will remain suspended for an additional four weeks as the United States reviews information provided by Guatemala concerning legal reforms and actions to strengthen labor law enforcement in Guatemala and whether the reforms are leading to concrete improvements in Guatemalan workers’ rights. Ambassador Froman travelled to Guatemala on July 31-August 1 to press for effective implementation of the Enforcement Plan agreed to by Guatemala and the United States in April 2013.
The U.S. Government retains the right to reactivate the arbitral panel at any point during the next four weeks.
