ISDS Case Map
labour | workers' rights
Sitting in a dark room beneath photographs of union leaders slain in the 1980s, workers at a Guatemalan factory say they have been punched, threatened and followed by cars with darkened windows since forming a union in 2003.
At least 1000 workers may be jobless within months as two Sydney car-part manufacturers plan to close, or move to Asia, as Australia moves towards a free trade agreement with China.
Workers' rights were being ignored in the rush to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, a leading group of opponents said today.
The fundamental reality of most of the US' trade accords is that they are designed to maximize corporate profits no matter the cost to the peoples of the signatory nations.
Dr Khalid Mohammed Al Khazraji, UAE Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, denied reports that the country would be enacting a new labour law, stressing that the UAE Labour Law No. 8 of 1980 is undergoing several amendments. He also denied any link between the amendments under way and proposals submitted by the US delegation in the context of the US-UAE FTA negotiations.
The Japanese government is considering allowing in more Thai workers by relaxing employment conditions for cooks, masseurs and caregivers under a proposed free-trade agreement.
The US has agreed to Bangladesh's proposal for exclusion of issues related to labour laws, environment and intellectual property rights from the main text of a proposed trade and investment framework agreement the two countries are likely to sign some time this year.
Japan and the Philippines have agreed to speed up work to sign a bilateral free trade agreement and compared notes over Japan's plan to tightening immigration control over Philippine nationals.
The United Arab Emirates and Oman must make new efforts to qualify for proposed free trade pacts with the United States, a US official said on Friday in response to objections raised by labour groups.
The New Zealand, Chile and Singapore governments are promoting a P-3
whose primary - and arguably only - beneficiaries are the transnational companies that
straddle two of the three countries, including opportunists who locate there to take advantage
of the deal. The greatest potential beneficiaries are the agribusiness interests of Fonterra and
Nestle as they promote their shared strategy to dominate Latin America's dairy industry.
