labour | workers' rights


The EU-Ecuador trade agreement must work to protect workers' rights in the banana industry
Ecuadorian trade union ASTAC and its European partners denounce the outrageous lack of human rights and environmental protections in the banana industry under the EU-Ecuador Trade Agreement.
Migrant justice groups call for USMCA overhaul to stop displacement and protect the rights of migrant workers
Public Citizen joined prominent migrant justice organizations in calling for the agreement, as well as immigration policies, to be rewritten to prioritize human rights, labor protections, and climate resilience.
Lesotho textile workers protest US tariffs amid massive job losses and AGOA uncertainty
Hundreds of textile workers took to the streets of Maseru’s city centre on Friday, demanding urgent relief from crippling US tariffs that have triggered widespread layoffs in Lesotho’s vital garment industry.
First comprehensive review of USMCA labor cases shows tool delivered wins, but structural gaps threaten long-term success
Recently initiated six-year USMCA review must include improvements to the USMCA rapid response labor mechanism for intended benefits to materialize
Not a border crisis, but a “free trade” crisis
A new report unpacks how decades of corporate-led trade agreements have displaced millions of people, stripping them of their livelihoods and forcing them to migrate to survive.
AfCFTA risks failure without labor protections, union leader warns
The African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) promise of transformative economic integration could remain unfulfilled unless governments design industrial policies that prioritize workers’ welfare alongside trade liberalization, according to a prominent labor economist.
EU-Vietnam trade agreement has failed to promote rights
EU trade chief’s visit to Hanoi should address political prisoners, labor rights.
The EU-Ecuador trade agreement must work to protect workers’ rights in the banana industry
Ecuadorian trade union Agricultural Workers and Farmers Trade Union Association and its European partners denounce the outrageous lack of human rights and environmental protections in the banana industry under the European Union-Ecuador Trade Agreement.
ITUC-Africa seeks inclusion of exclusive protocol on labour
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has submitted a petition demanding a people-centred African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with a stand-alone protocol on labour and social clauses.
Malaysian civil society groups urge government to reject investor-state dispute settlement clause in RCEP deal
Malaysian CSOs have urged the government to reject the inclusion of the ISDS clause in the RCEP agreement. They warn that ISDS allows foreign investors to sue governments over policies safeguarding public interests like health, workers, and the environment, potentially leading to costly legal battles and large payouts detrimental to national budgets.