Title: New reports on NAFTA, CAFTA and Trade Impacts on Worker Health
Author:
Section/SPIG: Occupational Health and Safety
Issue Date:
Garrett Brown
Phone: (510) 558-1014
E-mail: <gdbrown@igc.org>
TWO MAJOR REPORTS ON NAFTA, CAFTA AND TRADE AGREEMENT IMPACTS ON WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY RELEASED
THIRD REPORT ISSUED ON DECEMBER 2004 TRAINING IN GUATEMALA FOR UNIONS, MONITORS CONFRONTING GARMENT SWEATSHOPS IN CENTRAL AMERICA
The Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network (MHSSN) issued two reports today on the failure of the NAFTA treaty to protect Mexican workers' health and safety, and on what is actually needed to protect workplace safety in international trade and investment treaties.
The MHSSN is a 12-year-old network of 400 occupational health and safety professionals in the United States, Canada and Mexico who have donated their time and expertise to worker- and community-based organizations on the U.S.-Mexico border, in Central America and in Asia (China and Indonesia). The Network's goal is to increase the capacity of local, grassroots organizations seeking to protect the health of workers in the maquiladoras and other export processing zones. The Network's activities have included on-site trainings, technical assistance, and extensive collaboration with Mexican worker organizations filing complaints under the NAFTA "labor side agreement."
The reports issued today are:
(1) "NAFTA's 10 Year Failure to Protect Mexican Workers' Health and Safety," an 18-page report which includes photographs by award-winning photojournalist David Bacon and photos from the tri-national Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras. The report also contains three data tables.
The report is in down-loadable PDF format at: <http://mhssn.igc.org/NAFTA_2004.pdf>.
(2) "Why NAFTA Failed and What's Need to Protect Workers' Health and Safety in International Trade Treaties," a 15-page report which contains five data tables and extensive references.
The report is in down-loadable PDF format at: <http://mhssn.igc.org/trade_2004.pdf>.
(3) The final report of the "Central America Health and Safety Training Project in Guatemala City, Guatemala, December 2004." The report describes a follow-up workshop to a September 2003 training in Guatemala, both conducted by the MHSSN to build the capacity of Central American unions and independent monitoring groups to conduct health and safety inspections of the region's 900 maquiladoras producing garments and textiles for major U.S. clothing retailers. The second seminar in December 2004 is part of the preparations of region's pro-worker groups for dealing with the anticipated adverse impact of the CAFTA treaty, which is now before the U.S. Congress.
The report is in down-loadable HMTL format at: <http://mhssn.igc.org/CentralAm.htm>.
Additional information about the MHSSN and its activities in Mexico, Central America, Indonesia and China is also posted on the Web site at <www.igc.org/mhssn>.