US labor presses CAFTA complaint against Guatemala
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Guatemala has violated labor provisions of its free trade pact with the United States by failing to seriously investigate murders and other violence directed at union workers, a U.S. labor group said on Wednesday in a petition filed with the U.S. Labor Department.
The complaint is the first of its kind under the labor provisions of the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, which the AFL-CIO labor federation bitterly opposed when it was approved by Congress in 2005.
It comes as the Bush administration is pushing Congress to approve a free trade agreement with Colombia, which U.S. labor groups are fighting on the grounds that country has not done enough to curb violence against trade union members.
"Guatemalan workers are being targeted for their union activity," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. "Without the freedom from fear to join unions and bargain collectively, how can we expect any workers to benefit from a trade agreement?"
CAFTA requires countries to enforce their domestic labor laws or face a possible fine of up to $15 million.
"The level of physical violence against trade unionists increased markedly since the agreement entered into force in July 2006," the AFL-CIO said in its complaint.
Since January, four union leaders or their family members have been murdered in Guatemala, and there have been attempts on others' lives and numerous death threats, the AFL-CIO said.
"The Department of Labor will thoroughly review and investigate these allegations within the parameters set by the CAFTA agreement," Charlotte Ponticelli, deputy undersecretary of Labor for international affairs, said in a statement.
"Free trade agreements like CAFTA, provide a mechanism so that the United States government can address allegations of this nature," Ponticelli said.
The first step in resolving a labor dispute under CAFTA is government-to-government consultations, according to a fact sheet prepared by the U.S. Trade Representatives's office.
After 90 days, a panel of labor specialists and other experts could be formed to examine the dispute. The panel is supposed to reach a decision within 180 days.
