Labor Dimension of FTAs and Regional Integration Processes

Topics: 
LABOR
Enforcement and awareness of labor legislation
Working conditions
EMPLOYMENT
Employment policies and programs
Event date: 
07/10/2007
Place: 
Port of Spain
Host Country: 
Trinidad and Tobago
Objectives: 
  • Deepen the analysis of themes or components related to the labor provisions (chapters, parallel agreements, MOUs, declarations) that have been incorporated into various bilateral and multilateral Free Trade Agreements.
  •  Deepen the analysis of the labor provisions that have been incorporated in the various sub-regional integration processes.
Organizers: 

The Workshop on Labor Dimension of Free Trade Agreements and Regional Integration Processes, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on July 10, 2007 was organized by the Department of Social Development and Employment, SEDI of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), in consultation with IACML authorities.
 
This Workshop is part of the activities of the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL), which is the cooperation mechanism of the OAS Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML). This Workshop is an outcome of the IACML Calendar of Activities 2006-2007, approved by the IACML authorities in the Planning Meeting of December 2005. It was made possible through the grant received from HRSDC for the operation of the RIAL.

Participants: 
The Workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Labor of 21 countries of the Americas. Also present were representatives from COSATE, CEATAL, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the CARICOM Secretariat.
Relevant documents: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon Agenda197.88 KB
PDF icon List of Participants260.52 KB
Presentations: 

Opening remarks

Carl Francis, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development of Trinidad and Tobago
Francisco Pilotti, Director Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States (OAS)

Session 1: Labor Dimension of Free Trade Agreements

CANADA - "The Trade and Labor Linkage: The Canadian perspective", Pierre Bouchard, Director of Inter-American Labour Cooperation, Labor Program, Human Resources and Social Development Canada
PDF icon Canada Presentation
UNITED STATES - "Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in the labor provisions of FTAs signed by the United States", Aaron Rosenberg, Director of Labor Affairs , Office of the United States Trade Representative
PDF icon USA Presentation
MEXICO - "The Mexican approaches to the labor provisions of FTAs", Claudia Anel Valencia, Deputy coordinator of the Administrative National Office, Secretariat for Labor and Social Welfare
PDF icon Mexico Presentation
CHILE - "A comparison of the labor provisions of the FTAs and signed by Chile and their effects on employment", Sebastián Sadá, Attorney, International Relations Team, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Chile
PDF icon Chile Presentation
EL SALVADOR - "Strengthening Labor Ministries through Trade and Labor Agreements: The case of CAFTA-DR", Carlos Hernández Zúñiga, Chief of Unit for Labor Administration of FTAs, Ministry of Labor and Social Prevision of El Salvador
PDF icon El Salvador Presentation

Session 1: Labor Dimension of Free Trade Agreements (continued)

Q&A Session

Session 2: Labor dimension of sub-regional integration processes

Labour mobility and regulatory harmonization in the context of the CARICOM

Myrna Bernard, Director, Human Development, CARICOM Secretariat
PDF icon CARICOM Presentation
Ramesh Chaitoo, Head of the Services Trade Unit, Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM)
PDF icon CRNM Presentation
Q&A Session

The Labor Dimension of MERCOSUR

Julio Rosales, Director of International Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security of Argentina
PDF icon Argentina Presentation
Marta Pujadas, Vicepresident of COSATE and Vicepresident of the Southern Cone Confederation of Unions. Even though Mrs. Pujadas couldn't participate in the Workshop, you can consult here the presentation she prepared.
PDF icon COSATE Presentation
Q&A Session

Session 2: Labor dimension of integration processes (Continued)

Presentation on labor initiatives and priorities within the Andean Community

COLOMBIA - Andrés Fernando Palacio, Vice-minister of Labor Relations, Ministry of Social Protection of Colombia
PDF icon Colombia Presentation
Q&A Session

Session 3: The perspective of the social actors

COSATE - Salvador Medina, President of COSATE, Mexican Workers Confederation (CTM)
CEATAL - Adam Greene, Vice President of CEATAL, US Council for International Business
Q&A Session

Closing remarks

Francisco Pilotti, Director Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States