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labour | workers’ rights


Indo-Jap deal holds productive promise
If commerce minister Kamal Nath’s statements in Tokyo are any indication, the proposed trade agreement with Japan will mark a distinct shift from the free-trade agreements India has favoured with other countries.
US-Jordan free trade agreement descends into human trafficking
Tens of thousands of foreign guest workers are stripped of their passports, trapped in involuntary servitude, sewing clothing for Wal-Mart, Gloria Vanderbilt, Target, Kohl’s, Thalia Sodi for Kmart, Victoria’s Secret, L.L.Bean and others.
US/Colombia: Dead unionists no hurdle to free trade
The US government is not only a step away from ratifying a new free trade agreement, but also from rewarding persistent and severe human rights abuses in Colombia, where each year more trade union leaders are murdered than in all other nations put together, a new report charges.
Canada-Korea free trade agreement bad news for Canada, CAW tells International Trade Committee
The Canadian Auto Workers union will strongly oppose the proposed free trade agreement between Canada and South Korea in a presentation this afternoon to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade.
US and Korean labor say ’NO’ to NAFTA repeat
Leaders of the four main labor federations in the United States and Korea — Change to Win, AFL-CIO, KCTU and FKTU — today joined forces to tell their governments to slow down negotiations of a US-Korea Free Trade agreement (KORUS FTA).
US labor groups to join forces in anti-FTA rallies
US labor groups will join forces with Korean counterparts for rallies in Washington early June against a proposed free trade agreement, the KCTU said yesterday.
FIDH report on the effects on human rights of the NAFTA
The International Federation for Human Rights has published the report of a fact-finding mission on the effects on human rights of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The mission, conducted in Mexico between 22 and 31 of August 2005, looked specifically at the effects of NAFTA, ten years after its entering into force, on employment and working conditions in the Northern part of the country, in particular in the maquilas and in the informal economy.
Japan agrees to non-quota deployment of nurses—RP exec
Discussions on the labor component of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) finally moved forward after Japan agreed to a non-quota deployment of Filipino nurses and caregivers, a labor official said.
No date set for next round of UAE-US free trade talks
The fifth round of free trade negotiations between the UAE and the United States ended in Abu Dhabi yesterday without agreement. The closely guarded negotiations, held amid a virtual media blackout, centred around two core issues: investment and labour laws.
House to begin work on Oman trade deal
Congressional Republicans announced plans on Monday to begin work on legislation to enact a US free trade deal with Oman, despite Democratic demands that the Gulf kingdom first provide stronger assurances it will bring its labor laws in line with international standards.
Workers will suffer from weakened Andean Community
Free trade agreements with the United States and Venezuela’s announced withdrawal from the Andean Community trade bloc will have an impact on workers, the ‘Cinderella’ of decades of integration, said trade unionists and experts in the region consulted by IPS.
An ugly side of free trade: Sweatshops in Jordan
Propelled by a free trade agreement with the United States, apparel manufacturing is booming in Jordan, its exports to America soaring twentyfold in the last five years. But some foreign workers in Jordanian factories that produce garments for Target, Wal-Mart and other American retailers are complaining of dismal conditions - of 20-hour days, of not being paid for months and of being hit by supervisors and jailed when they complain.
Cosatu warns of job losses on SA-China trade deal
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has warned government that thousands of textile workers, especially women, will soon join the unemployment queue.
Anti-FTA unionists attack White House web site
An estimated 3,000 Korean unionists in the information and technology sector have tried to flood the e-mail box of US President George W Bush with bulk messages in protest of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks.
Democrats urge labor clause in Peru FTA
The Bush administration should include a provision in a proposed free-trade pact with Peru that the South American country meet international labor standards, a group of congressional Democrats said on Friday.
Filipino and Japanese workers to lose out in JPEPA
Both Filipino and Japanese workers will lose out under the proposed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) according to a report by Mr. Takemasa Ando, a researcher from Waseda University in Tokyo.
House debate Oman labor rights in US FTA
Amidst rising anti-trade sentiment in Congress, House Republicans and Democrats wrangled over labor rights issues Wednesday demanding that a US free trade deal with the Omani government include stronger provisions to protect workers rights.
FTA to leave Hondurans jobless
Honduran humanitarian bodies predicted Monday that the implementation of the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will increase unemployment in agriculture and in small and medium companies.
UAE: Address abuse of migrant workers
The governments of the United States, the European Union, and Australia are currently negotiating free trade agreements with the UAE. Human Rights Watch called on these governments to require improvement of UAE’s labor practices and legal standards before signing such agreements.
International researcher hits Japanese aid to RP
A visiting Japanese researcher accused her own government of extending international aid that runs counter to the interest of the Filipinos. Kayoko’s observation came after members of the Philippine House of Representatives petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the government from finalizing an economic agreement with Japan.