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Article

5 Dec 2016

Author:
ASTAC

Ecuador: Civil society demands respect for labour rights as country finalises Free Trade Agreement with EU

“Ecuador accession to the EU's free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru: Freedom of Association is not optional”

On 11 November 2016, the EU, its member states, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru signed the protocol of accession of Ecuador to the EU's free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru. The goal is to finalize all the remaining procedural steps before the end of the year so as to allow for provisional application of the agreement from 1 January 2017. The agreement includes a Trade and Sustainable Development chapter…where it is indicated, among others, that “each Party commits to the promotion and effective implementation in its laws and practice and in its whole territory of internationally recognized core labor standards as contained in the fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization…” such as the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining conventions…Nevertheless, as highlighted by the ITUC survey of violations of trade unions rights, there are still many legal obstacles, in Ecuador, that put at stake the full realization of the freedom of association and the right to organize...