The Obama administration is considering including additional measures
to strengthen the labor protections in the Colombia free trade
agreement before submitting it to Congress, U.S. Commerce Secretary
Gary Locke said Monday.
Locke said there is no timeline on when the Colombia deal – which
has been held over from the last administration along with pacts with
South Korea and Panama – will be sent to Congress for passage. But he
said President Barack Obama remains committed to addressing lawmakers’
concerns about violence against labor unions in Colombia in order to
get the FTA approved.
After meeting with Colombia President Alvaro Uribe in June, Obama
“reaffirmed his support for trying to move that trade agreement
forward, but there are some concerns on the Hill dealing with the issue
of violence against labor leaders,” Locke said at a forum with U.S.
business representatives.
“So we need to develop a strategy and an action plan, and perhaps
additional agreements that might be incorporated that would be brought
to members of Congress when that trade agreement is ready for action,”
he said.
Locke said he wasn’t sure if the measures would be made part of the
agreement or just added on as addendums, noting that U.S. Trade
Representative Ron Kirk is heading up the effort to conclude the trade
deals.
In addition to conferring with lawmakers, the USTR office has also
sought public comment on both the Colombia and South Korean pacts. The
comment period for the deals, which began in late July, will last until
Sept. 15.
The administration is seeking input on whether the Colombian
government is taking adequate steps to ensure overall labor rights and
protect workers from violence and intimidation, including prosecuting
such acts. (Dow Jones)