AFL-CIO Decries Impact of CAFTA on Honduras in Briefing, Report to Congress
The AFL-CIO briefed members of Congress on Jan. 12 on the harmful impact of U.S. trade policy with Honduras and released a report on the subject the same day (here). Honduras is party to the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement.…
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U.S. trade policy in the region is helping to fuel mass migration to the U.S. of undocumented Latin Americans, including droves of children, said the report. The briefing and report follow an AFL-CIO-sponsored trip to Honduras in October, which led some to criticize CAFTA corporate farming and industrial policies that, they say, wreak havoc on local communities (see 1410210028). "CAFTA’s architecture of deregulation coupled with investor protections allowed companies to outsource labor-intensive components of their supply chains to locations with weak labor laws and low wages,” said the report. Moreover, "the labor rights situation in the country continues to deteriorate. Women workers spoke about ongoing workplace harassment and discrimination.” The country is also failing to protect collective bargaining and unions, said the report.