Unions File Labor Rights Petition under U.S.-Colombia FTA
AFL-CIO and five Colombian labor organizations on May 16 filed a formal petition with the Labor Department’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) under the labor and dispute settlement chapters of the Colombia-U.S. Trade Promotion Agreement, claiming the Colombian…
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Government has not complied with labor obligations under the agreement, according to the public filing (here). The petitioners requested a DOL investigation and that the U.S. invoke “Cooperative Labor Consultations” under Article 17.7 of the free trade agreement to ensure Bogota “takes all measures necessary” to amend its laws, regulations, and procedures to align with International Labor Organization fundamental labor rights and to address the “legal, institutional, and practical obstacles” to effective labor law enforcement and justice. If consultations don’t result in Colombia's compliance within a year of commencement, the U.S. should initiate a dispute settlement process, the petitioners said.