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India FTAs & labour

RCEP agrees to work on modalities for movement of skilled workers
15-Nov-2016 Livemint
Negotiations at the Cebu ministerial a key demand made by India to find jobs for its burgeoning skilled workforce
India, Saudi Arabia signed five agreements to boost bilateral co-operation
6-Apr-2016 Jagran Josh
India and Saudi Arabia inked five agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
US asks India to step up investment treaty talks
2-Nov-2015 Smart Investor
The US government has again pushed India to expedite negotiations on the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT).
SL-China FTA to allow skilled workers here
17-May-2015
A storm is brewing over renewed negotiation of the proposed Indo-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi threw the ball in the Sri Lankan court saying India was interested in finalising this agreement.
EU should allow easier entry for Indian professionals to support free trade pact: Icrier
18-Oct-2013 Economic Times
The European Union should allow easier entry and movement of Indian professionals in order to generate support for the free trade pact between the two that’s been under negotiation for the last six years, Indian think tank Icrier said in a study commissioned by the 27-country grouping.
India says no to labour, environment in FTA with New Zealand
22-Aug-2013
The negotiations for free trade agreement between India and New Zealand has hit a major roadblock during the latest round as New Delhi has declined to include other side’s demand pertaining to labour, environment and government procurement in the pact.
In whose interest is EU-India FTA being negotiated?
16-May-2013
NGOS, academics, patient groups, humanitarian organisations, trade unions, farmers groups and mass movements, representing hundreds of organisations and networks across the country, asked Mr. Anand Sharma, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, to explain to the nation which sectors and who exactly are benefiting from the FTA that is currently being negotiated with the European Union.
How City lobby supported controversial Indian trade deal
11-Jul-2012 Bureau of Investigative Journalism
A secret deal that saw Brussels blamed for ‘forcing’ Britain to take in 12,000 Indian workers – despite high unemployment – was supported by a lobbying push from British financial services companies.
India eyes overseas job market, plans to ink pacts with EU, Oz
9-Jan-2012 Times of India
The Indian government is negotiating human resource mobility partnership agreements with the Netherlands, France, Australia and the European Union in a move aimed at greater inroads for Indian professionals into such markets.
European Union not keen to relax FTA visa curbs
15-Aug-2011
The European Union is pushing for more foreign investment in a slew of sectors-banking, insurance, legal, accounting, postal, maritime and security services-but is unwilling to allow a bigger number of Indian professionals to work in the 27-member union. The EU is also reluctant in permitting services trade through electronic channels.
India tells EU Nations to commit visa numbers for Indian professionals
2-Aug-2011 Economic Times
India has sought a commitment from each of the 27 member-nations of the European Union on the number of Indian professionals they would allow to migrate each year in order to help India move faster in concluding the bilateral free trade agreement with the EU, a senior government official has told ET.
A deal still on the drawing board
5-Jul-2011
The India-EU free trade agreement is yet to see daylight. Labour and environmental issues may derail it, writes Biswajit Dhar
India “wants” thousands of extra EU visas under trade deal
21-Feb-2011 The Hindu
According to media reports, India wants up to 50,000 extra visas a year spread across EU’s 27 member-States under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement with Britain said to be under pressure to cough up 20,000 of these.
Not-so-free trade agreements
18-Aug-2010
The flavour of protectionism is spreading in the US sometimes at the cost of impeding market access for trade partners. The recent law signed by US President Barack Obama to raise work visa fees will hit Indian companies immediately and US companies with global operations in the medium and long term.
FTA with EU stuck on non-trade barriers
27-Apr-2010
Apart from trade issues, the free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and the European Union (EU) continue to be stuck over non-trade issues like human rights, child labour and environment.
India rejects EU demand on social clauses in trade pact
12-Mar-2010 Hindu Businessline
India has rejected the European Union’s demand on including social clauses such as labour and environmental standards in the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA), saying there are other forums to discuss these issues.
Kerala fishermen protest India-Asean free trade pact
11-Nov-2009
The Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee (KFCC) comprising several fishermen unions from the state on Tuesday said India-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would adversely impact the livelihood of a million fishermen in the state as cheap imports will cut down demand for local produce.
Labour pangs likely to hold up India-EU free-trade agreement
8-Nov-2009
The fate of the India-EU trade and investment agreement—which seeks to further open up bilateral markets for goods, investments and services—may hang in balance as India and the EU lock horns over including labour standards in the pact.
EU Par wants India FTA to address "child, bonded labour"issues
21-Apr-2009 PTI
"Concerned" over "child and bonded labour" in India, the European Parliament has strongly pressed the European Union to include the issues in the Free Trade Agreement talks with New Delhi, which is stoutly against inclusion of social issues in commercial deals.
Don’t use trade for resolving non-trade issues: Kamal Nath
29-Sep-2008 Economic Times
"Increasingly we hear about proposals in the EU for levy of carbon tax on imports into EU, ban on imports on allegations of labour law violations and use of child labour etc. Any effort to combine trade with other social issues would prove to be disastrous for bilateral trade" says India’s commerce minister about the EU-India FTA.