Protest the AFTA negotiations

Protest the AFTA negotiations

You thought NAFTA and CAFTA were bad? Well, here comes AFTA, the Andean Free Trade Agreement!

Information comes from Alliance for Responsible Trade, the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project, and the Solidarity Center
Posted June 14, 2004

This is the next fight for justice in the face of Free Trade Agreements!

That's right, the Bush Administration has done it again. They've started yet another round of negotiations for yet another free trade agreement, this time with the Andean countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and (coming soon), Bolivia. The second round of negotiations begins on Monday, June 14 th in Atlanta , Georgia where local groups are planning a peaceful mobilization to oppose Bush’s proposed AFTA. This will be an on-going struggle, with negotiations taking place in various cities throughout the year. So, stay tuned! If you are in or near Atlanta , please come out to protest the Andean Free Trade Agreement.

When: Monday, June 14 th at 12pm
Where: The Atlanta Hilton at 255 Courtland Street
Contact: Kelli Potts : kellipotts@comcast.net

Background info rmation:

The Andean Free Trade Agreement, modeled after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the recently negotiated Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), will contain rules on market access, investment, services, intellectual property, government procurement, labor and the environment. These rules create sweeping new rights for multinational investors, but do very little to guarantee the fundamental human rights of workers, protect the environment, or promote equitable development. This free trade model will pit workers against each other in a race to the bottom, destroying good jobs and lowering working standards throughout the region.

Like CAFTA and NAFTA, the AFTA talks will likely be carried out in secret, with no negotiating texts published until the agreement is completed. Citizens' organizations from Colombia , Ecuador , Bolivia , Peru and the United States have denounced the secrecy of AFTA negotiations. While there would be some public access to reading rooms to review the text, those doing so would be banned from revealing that info rmation to the public, thus severely limiting an info rmed public debate on the agreement.

The June 14 th-18 th Atlanta meetings mark the second round of AFTA negotiations. The first round of negotiations was held in Cartagena , Colombia , where some 500,000 Colombians participated in a national strike protesting AFTA on May 18. As many as 60 people were wounded at the demonstrations, including reporters, when police responded with tear gas and riot gear. Future rounds are scheduled over the next few months in Peru , the United States and Ecuador , with plans to complete the negotiations in February 2005.

Worker Rights:

The Bush administration's proposed text for AFTA only requires governments to enforce the labor laws they currently have, even if their labor laws far below minimal international standards. The proposed labor provisions are significantly weaker than the labor conditions that currently apply to Andean countries under our unilateral trade preference programs. These labor provisions are particularly troubling in the Andean region, where workers' rights are routinely violated with impunity. Weak laws, lack of enforcement, government indifference and employer hostility present obstacles to workers in the region who seek to exercise their basic worker rights. The situation is particularly dire in Colombia , where, since 1991, more than 2000 trade unionists have been murdered.

Corporate Rights:

While AFTA will do very little to protect workers’ rights, it would create powerful new protections for multinational corporations. Foreign investors would be able to use these new rules to challenge laws that protect the environment, support essential public services, promote local economic development, and serve other important social goals.

Continue the fight against Corporate Globalism! AFTA is next big battle!