Blog: Peru

ILRF Statement on Extension of Deadline in U.S.-Peru Labor Dispute

December 19, 2016

On December 17, 2016, the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) issued a public progress report reviewing the extent to which the Government of Peru has complied with the four key recommendations identified in USDOL’s Public Report issued in response to a complaint filed by seven Peruvian unions, Peru Equidad, and the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) under the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA).

ILRF Urges Congress to Reject TPP Over Failed Labor Enforcement Model

February 5, 2016
An anti-TPP rally in the Washington, DC area in April 2015. Credit: AFGE

Yesterday ILRF’s Legal and Policy Director Eric Gottwald presented at a Capitol Hill briefing organized by the AFL-CIO on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and labor rights, entitled: “TPP: Is it a Gold Standard for Working People?”

Panelists at the event addressed the question, “Can workers count on the TPP to secure more freedoms and higher wages?” Along with other human rights and labor experts (Ben Davis from United Steelworkers, John Sifton from Human Rights Watch and Celeste Drake from the AFL-CIO) Eric Gottwald laid out ILRF’s opposition to the  proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), emphasizing that, based on past experience, the trade treaty’s labor provisions are unlikely to be enforced in practice.

TPP Ignores Workers' Needs and Fails to Address Weaknesses from Past Trade Agreements

November 12, 2015

The text of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) finally became accessible to workers and the public last week, though insiders from more than 500 major companies have had access to the negotiation and writing process for years. The result predictably values the rights of corporations over the needs of workers and fails to address the most glaring weakness of past trade deals: the utter failure of the parties to uphold their commitments to respect workers' rights.

U.S. Department of Labor Accepts ILRF Complaint Against Peru

September 22, 2015
"Camino a Puno Golpeando quinoa" by Michael Hermann - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

On September 21, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) formally accepted a complaint filed by ILRF and Peruvian unions against the government of Peru for violating labor rights provisions of the 2009 U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement.

The TPP's dirty labor laundry

May 7, 2015

The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is being touted as a “21st century” trade agreement that will contain strong and enforceable labor standards to ensure our trade partners honor their promise to uphold workers’ fundamental rights.  

But if history is any guide, labor rights advocates should remain deeply skeptical of any such claims.

Legislation introduced in April aims to provide the President with trade promotion authority (aka “fast track”), a procedure that requires Congress to vote on proposed trade deals with limited debate and no opportunity to offer amendments.

Fighting the labor law rollback in Peru

August 8, 2014
Peru protest

When the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force in 2009, it was presented as a major step forward for protecting international labor rights.  Unlike prior trade agreements, most notably DR-CAFTA, the PTPA required both parties not only to enforce their existing labor laws, but also to adopt and maintain laws consistent with 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and not weaken labor laws in an effort to stimulate the economy or attract foreign direct investment. 

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