Free trade agreements and labour rights: Recent developments

Abstract

While the linking of trade liberalization with protection of workers' rights remains controversial, the practice of including labour clauses in free trade agreements is gaining currency. Reviewing wider efforts to promote labour standards and - in fine - the economic and other arguments for doing so, the authors examine the labour clauses contained in recent trade argeements, focusing on their effectiveness in protecting internationally recognized workers' rights. Some agreements offer promising avenues for promoting these rights (e.g. trade incentives, capacity building) but their principal weakness lies in supervision, particularly in countries that have not ratified the relevant ILO Conventions. Copyright © International Labour Organization 2006.