ISDS Case Map
CAFTA
US - Central America Free Trade Agreement
The US State Department stands accused of conditioning development aid to El Salvador to benefit and boost foreign agribusiness in the Central American nation.
Some 30 inspectors from the Honduran Labor Ministry visited the Kyungshin-Lear Honduras Electrical Distribution Systems auto parts assembly plant iafter local media reported that some employees had to wear diapers at work because of restrictions on their bathroom breaks.
The U.S. government is commending Nicaragua for its continued trade liberalization and integration into the global economy under the Sandinista government of President Daniel Ortega.
Canadian company Pacific Rim can move forward under El Salvador law with a case against that country's government for blocking a gold mining project, but cannot file suit under a regional trade agreement, a World Bank arbitration panel ruled.
Late last month, the umbrella coalition of US unions, the AFL-CIO, linked up with major workers groups from Honduras to file a petition with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC. The petition censured the government of the Central American country over its failure to enforce provisions of the labour chapter of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) with the United States.
This week the AFL-CIO joined the main Honduran trade unions to file a petition with the United States Department of Labor’s Public Office of Trade & Labor Affairs (OTLA) concerning the failure of the government of Honduras to effectively enforce its labor laws and comply with its commitments under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).
Sportswear producers such as Adidas are turning to Central America to complement China as a source for apparel as the region’s proximity to the US allows for quick turnaround of orders during peak seasons.
Tomorrow, the AFL-CIO will join the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and activists from a range of labor and environmental groups to converge on the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., for a noon protest in opposition to a CAFTA case being brought against the Salvadoran government by Pacific Rim.
Pig farmers denounced that thus far this year the Agriculture Ministry has approved the import of nearly 6,000 tons of pork meat beyond the amount approved for the entire 2011, violating the Free Trade Agreement’s (DR-CAFTA) tariff quota.
Ever since it was passed five years ago, the Central America Free Trade Agreement-Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) has led to an increase in unemployment, violations of worker rights and discrimination against women in Honduras, according to an about-to-be-released documentary.
