U.S. labor enforcement against Guatemala moves forward

The United States is proceeding with a labor-enforcement case against Guatemala under CAFTA-DR.

   The White House on Thursday said the United States is proceeding with a labor enforcement case against Guatemala under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
   “Our goal in taking action today remains the same as it has always been: to ensure that Guatemala implements the labor protections to which its workers are entitled. Litigation is a means toward that goal, not an end in itself,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in a statement. 
   The United States has engaged Guatemala in an effort to improve labor law enforcement. This included the signing of an enforcement plan between the two countries in April 2013.  Over the last 17 months, the United States has worked closely with Guatemala to monitor implementation of the plan. Guatemala has implemented some labor obligations under CAFTA-DR, but still has a way to go.
   “It is high time that Guatemala be held to the labor obligations to which it committed a decade ago,” said Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Mich., ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “Guatemala’s failure to enforce its labor laws weakens its economy and damages the opportunity for its citizens to earn a decent livelihood at a time when large numbers of unaccompanied minors and others are fleeing to escape violence and poverty in their home countries.”