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Labor issues have been a contentious subject
in the Summit of the Americas process from the very beginning.
Controversies over types of labor market reforms and the question
of whose standards to use have spilled over into many of the
deliberations. The debate has been and continues to be driven
by the impact of free trade on employment and salaries throughout
the region. Whether there is to be more flexibility or less
in labor market regulation is the key question. However, the
Summit process has also sought to address technical problems
of developing more transparent and fluid labor markets, as
well as improved working conditions and protections for workers.
Basic labor standards include the regulation
of the right of labor unions to organize and bargain collectively
and the principle of freedom of association. This is a basic
right established by the oldest of the United Nations/League
of Nations organizations, the International Labor Organization
(ILO). Questions of child and forced labor as well as non-discrimination
in employment also form part of what have been called the
"core labor standards." US legislation that concedes
trade preferences to nations in the hemisphere recognizes
these factors. In addition, the Summit of the Americas process
has amply debated issues such as training, professional development
and migration, as well as the question of a safe and healthy
workplace. The very sensitive area of social security and
retirement schemes are central to these debates.
Key to the discussion of labor in the Summit
of the Americas process is the Inter-American Conference of
Ministers of Labor and its working groups. Their work is documented
in the Social Development and Education section of the Organization
of American States web site (www.oas.org). The conference,
an official technical body recognized under the OAS charter,
has been the venue for discussion and coordination as well
as implementation of many aspects of labor market support
and reform proposed in the Summit Action Plans. Unfortunately,
however, most of the projects it has developed have suffered
from the lack of funding and low priority of this field. The
content and mandate of the conference are also matters of
contention. The Summit process has emphasized the technical
nature of development of labor market information, training
and development, social security and migrations, while unions
and their supporters in civil society would like to see more
emphasis on worker rights and protections. These different
visions have absorbed much of the agenda at the conference's
ministerials and working groups.
Employment security, workforce development,
decent jobs and migration are integral aspects of the globalization
of the hemisphere's economy. This section of AmericasNet follows
the debates and the real contributions being made on these
issues.
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