(Washington, DC) - It’s disappointing that the United States Trade Representative decided to grant the Government of Guatemala a four-month extension to comply with the Mutually Agreed Labor Enforcement Plan, rather than proceed directly to arbitration. The Enforcement Plan, designed to address Guatemala’s failure to enforce its own labor laws in accordance with its commitments under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), was supposed to be fully implemented by April 2014. The original complaint was filed on April 23, 2008. Guatemalan workers have waited far too long for justice.
The Guatemalan government has not complied with the letter or the spirit of the Enforcement Plan, and its prolonged indifference over the past six years gives no indication that four additional months will result in substantial changes on the ground. USTR should use these four months strategically and intensively to determine whether the Guatemalan government has the capacity, as well as the intent, to comply with the Labor Enforcement Plan.
Guatemala is failing its workers, and it is failing to honor its commitments under DR-CAFTA. This decision undermines our confidence in the Administration’s claims that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will combat the race to the bottom in global labor standards. If the Administration is committed to building a trade policy for the 21st century, it is sending the wrong message to TPP partners: that these cases can take many years to process, while governments with limited capacity to address egregious worker rights violations can delay accountability indefinitely.
Contact: Gonzalo Salvador (202) 637-5018