Labor Provisions in the U.S Free Trade Agreements: Case Study of México, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Peru

Author
Samet, Andrew
Date
Jan 2011
This document is divided into two components. First, it provides a comparison of the obligations contained under these four agreements and presents the evolution in the language and commitments in them for the 15 year period between 1993 and 2008 during which they were negotiated. Second, it reviews the developments in each country during the relevant period with regard to changes in labor laws and regulations, and also in the strengthening of labor institutions 2 relevant for labor law enforcement, specifically the ministries of labor and the labor justice systems. This document cannot assess whether the negotiation or implementation of labor chapters in free trade agreements were the cause for any changes made within a country; the document can only report the changes made with regard to the labor framework of a country during the process of negotiations and the subsequent periods during which the agreements have been in place.