Trade Agreements and the Decent Work Agenda

Labour clauses in trade agreements ensure minimum human rights standards at work, aligned with international labour standards (ILS), also offering mechanisms for resolution and collaboration. Labour clauses can be categorized into: a) obligations - principles addressing labour issues; b) monitoring & cooperation - frameworks ensuring adherence to these standards; c) dispute settlement - ensuring compliance with national labour laws. In the Asia Pacific, out of 128 regional trade deals, 41 reference ILS, 40 promote monitoring and cooperation, and 36 have dispute mechanisms. Though trade agreements can benefit development, concerns arise about job quality, impacts on low-skilled workers, smaller enterprises, and the informal sector. Aligning these with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is also crucial. The online course, following the 2021 introductory version, delved deeper into the intricacies of trade agreements for unions, emphasizing their implications for social justice and decent work. Participants gained tools to assess and influence these trade agreements towards broader labour and social goals. OBJECTIVES The four-week online course aimed to improve trade union capacities to integrate and monitor labour and social clauses in trade agreements. Specifically, it aimed to enbale participants (a) understand the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and key international labour standards relevant to trade agreements; (b) distinguish trade agreement types and their labour clauses; (c) discuss trends, experiences, and union roles in developing labour clauses; (d) utilize ILO resources on trade agreements and Decent Work; and (e) outline union roles and craft policies promoting decent work in trade agreements. CONTENT The online course covered four (4) main thematic subjects: (a) rulemaking in trade, (b) trade and labour inssues in multilateral trading system, (c) trade institutions and labour issues, and (d) the importance of international labour standards (ILS) in trade rules and free trade agreements; (e) the ILO, trade and the decent work work agenda, (f) country lessons and experiences. The four-week course consisted of an estimated 40 hours of synchronous and asynchronous online learning, which included tasks such as participation in webinars, completion of self-guided learning modules, online interaction and collaboration, and submission of assignments application of learning plans, among others.