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USTR’s Office of Labor Affairs negotiates labor provisions in bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). These provisions differ in detail across the various FTAs, but generally include commitments to respect fundamental labor rights, to effectively enforce labor laws, to provide domestic procedural guarantees, and to promote public awareness of labor laws, and establish consultation and dispute settlement mechanisms.
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Free Trade Agreements and Labor |
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Quick Links: Australia — Bahrain – CAFTA-DR (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua) – Chile – Colombia – Jordan – Republic of Korea NAFTA (Canada, Mexico) – Morocco – Oman – Panama – Peru – Singapore |
Congressional Reports (2004)
Congressional Reports (2005)
Labor Subcommittee Meeting (2010)
Bahrain Public Submission (2011): In April 2011, the Department of Labor (DOL) received a submission from the AFL-CIO with a statement from the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions alleging that Bahrain had violated its commitments under the Labor Chapter of the Bahrain – United States Free Trade Agreement regarding the right of association, particularly non-discrimination against trade unionists. More…
U.S. Consultations Request Letter
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Congressional Reports (2005)
Fact Sheet on Labor Capacity Building (2011)
Guatemala Public Submission (2008): The AFL-CIO and Guatemalan labor unions first filed a labor complaint under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2008. On July 30, 2010, the United States requested consultations with Guatemala under article 16.6.1 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), for apparent violations of obligations on labor rights. More…
Dominican Republic Public Submission (2011): Father Christopher Hartley from Fundación Misión de la Misericordia in Madrid filed a labor complaint under the Dominican Republic- Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2011. More…
Honduras Public Submission (2012): In March 2012, the AFL-CIO and twenty-six Honduran unions filed a submission under the CAFTA-DR labor chapter with the U.S. Department of Labor. The Labor Department reviewed the allegations and issued a Public Report in response to the submission on February 27, 2015. The public report recommended that the Government of the United States engage the Government of Honduras to develop a monitoring and action plan to address the concerns identified in report, and on December 9, 2015, the two labor ministries signed the Labor Rights Monitoring and Action Plan. More…
Congressional Reports (2003)
Congressional Reports
Employment Impact Review (2011)
Employment Impact Review (2008)
Colombia Labor Action Plan: The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement includes strong protections for workers’ rights, based on the May 10, 2007, bipartisan Congressional-Executive agreement to incorporate high labor standards into America’s trade agreements. In addition, President Obama insisted that a number of serious and immediate labor concerns be addressed before he would be willing to send the Agreement to Congress. More…
Labor Affairs Council (2013)
Colombia Public Submission (2016): In May 2016, the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations and several Colombian workers’ organizations filed a submission under the labor chapter of the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The submission alleged that the Government of Colombia (GOC) has failed to effectively enforce its labor laws related to the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining; has failed to adopt and maintain in its statutes, regulations, and practices, the fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining; and has failed to comply with the procedural guarantees enumerated in the labor chapter. It provides two illustrative case studies from the petroleum and sugar sectors. The DOL reviewed the allegations, and on January 11, 2017 issued a Public Report in response to the submission. The report recommends that the GOC takes steps to improve the labor law inspection system, improve the application and collection of fines for employers who violate labor laws, particularly regarding violations for abusive subcontracting arrangements, and improve the investigation and prosecution of cases of violence and threats against unionists. The report also recommends that the U.S. government initiate consultations between the contact points of the two Governments under the Labor Chapter of the trade agreement, to discuss the questions and concerns identified in the review and explore options for implementing the report's recommendations, or similar measures... More
Labor Subcommittee Meeting (2009)
Labor Implementation Plan (2013): The United States and the Kingdom of Jordan concluded an Implementation Plan Related to Working and Living Conditions in January 2013. The Implementation Plan reaffirms Jordan’s commitment to protect internationally recognized labor rights and effectively enforce its labor laws. More…
Congressional Reports (2011)
Congressional Reports (2004)
Labor Subcommittee Meeting (2010)
Labor Subcommittee Meeting (2014)
North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC)
Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation
Congressional Reports (2006)
Fact Sheet on Oman’s Labor Reforms (2006)
Status of Oman Labor Law Commitments (2006): The Government of Oman made several commitments to the United States to enact additional labor law reforms by October 31, 2006. On July 9, 2006, Oman issued a Royal Decree covering many of the commitments it made. More…
Congressional Reports (2011)
Fact Sheet on Labor Rights (2012)
Congressional Reports (2007)
Fact Sheet on Labor Rights (2005)
Peru Public Submission (2015): In July 2015, the International Labor Rights Forum and several Peruvian workers’ organizations filed a submission under the labor chapter of the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The submission alleged that the Government of Peru has failed to effectively enforce its labor laws in the agriculture and textiles and garment manufacturing sectors, and that Peru’s laws governing employment contracts for non-traditional exports are inconsistent with basic union rights. The DOL reviewed the allegations, and on March 18, 2016 issued a Public Report in response to the submission. The report recommends that Peru adopt and implement new legal instruments or other measures to ensure that the use of short-term contracts does not undermine labor rights in the non-traditional export sector, and also sets out a path for the two Governments to establish a cooperative dialogue regarding the concerns raised in the report.
Congressional Reports (2003)
