<html> <head> <title>NAALC - REVIEW OF THE NORTH AMERICAN AGREEMENT ON LABOR COOPERATION</title> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="600">   <tr>     <td colspan="2"><img src="../images/topbar.gif" border="0" width="600" height="20"></td>   </tr>   <tr>     <td valign="top"><!--webbot bot="ImageMap" default="../sidebar.map" rectangle="(9,115) (114,137) ../../spanish/publications/1997report.htm" rectangle="(9,96) (115,115) ../../french/publications/1997report.htm" rectangle="(8,78) (116,96) ../sitemap.htm" rectangle="(12,61) (115,79) ../../index.htm" src="../../images/RedButtons.jpg" width="129" height="321" border="0" alt="navmap" align="Left" ismap startspan --> 	<map name="FrontPageMap"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="9, 115, 114, 137" href="../../spanish/publications/review_annex5_foot.htm"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="9, 96, 115, 115" href="../../french/publications/review_annex5_foot.htm"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="8, 78, 116, 96" href="../sitemap.htm"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="12, 61, 115, 79" href="../../index.htm"> 	<area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="../sidebar.map"> 	</map> 	<a href="../../_vti_bin/shtml.dll/english/publications/review_annex5.htm/map"><img align="Left" ismap usemap="#FrontPageMap" border="0" height="321" alt="navmap" src="../../images/RedButtons.jpg" width="129"></a><!--webbot bot="ImageMap" endspan i-checksum="26936" --></td>     <td valign="top"><br>     	<img src="../images/other.jpg" width="435" height="22"></font><p> 		<b><font face="Arial" size=5>ANNEX 5:</font></b><p> 		<b><font face="Arial">FOOTNOTES</font></b><p>   		<font face="Arial" size=2> 		<ol type=A> 			<li><b>CANADA</b><p> 			<b><i>Fdration des travailleurs et travailleuses du Qubec</i><br> 			Henri Mass, Secrtaire gnral</b><p> 			<dl> 				<dd> 				<a name="1"><sup>1</sup></a> Coalition qubcoise sur les ngociations trilatrales (CQNT), <i>Analyse des accords parallles  l'ALNA</i>, 23 aot 1993, page 2.<p> 				<a name="2"><sup>2</sup></a> Libert d'association et protection du droit d'organisation (1), le troit  				de ngociation collective (2), le droit de grve (3), interdiction du travail forc (4),  				protection accorde aux enfants et aux jeunes en matire de travail (5), normes  				minimales d'emploi (6), limination de la discrimination en matire d'emploi (7),  				galit de rmunration entre les hommes et les femmes (8), prvention des accidents du  				travail et des maladies professionnelles (9), indemnisation en cas d'accidents du  				travail et de maladies professionnelles (10) et protection de travailleurs migrants  				(11).<p> 				<a name="3"><sup>3</sup></a> Le march commun du sud de l'Amrique latine (MERCOSUR) comprenant l'Argentine, le Brsil, le Paraguay et l'Uruguay.<p> 				<a name="4"><sup>4</sup></a> Accord nord-amricain de coopration sur le travail, page 4.<p> 				<a name="5"><sup>5</sup></a> Relations industrielles au 21<sup>o</sup> sicle; Les femmes et le travail au 21<sup>o</sup>  sicle; Amliorer les conditions de vie des enfants: le travail des enfants et des jeunes en Amrique du Nord.<p> 				<a name="6"><sup>6</sup></a> Dont le noyau dur comporte quatre droits: la libert d'association, les droits syndicaux, le travail des enfants et la non-discrimination fonde sur le sexe.<p> 				<a name="7"><sup>7</sup></a> Huit plaintes ont t dposes auprs de bureaux administratifs nationaux, dont sept concernaient le premier groupe de principes.<p> 			</dl><p> 			<b>Christine Elwell<br> 			<i>Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario</i></b><p> 			<dl> 				<dd><a name="8"><sup>1</sup></a> Referred to in Mel Hurtig, How much of Canada do we want to sell?, Op-ed, Globe and Mail, February 5, 1998<p> 				<a name="9"><sup>2</sup></a> NAFTA, 32 IML 296, 1994.<p> 				<a name="10"><sup>3</sup></a> Preamble to NAALC, 32 ILM 1499, 1994.<p> 				<a name="11"><sup>4</sup></a> Yet see footnote 14 below for statistics about artificially low Mexican wages compared to productivity increases.<p> 				<a name="12"><sup>5</sup></a> Having identified such a situation, and given the side agreements and other international commitments, would the NAFTA permit/require that the inappropriate goods or services be ineligible for North American trade? How could that decision on market access be enforced? Surely any scheme would require coordinated action by the NAFTA institutions and stakeholders.<p> 				<a name="13"><sup>6</sup></a> "Switching Tracks: Using the NAFTA Labour Agreement to Move Toward a High Road, 1996, copy on file with author.<p> 				<a name="14"><sup>7</sup></a> US NAO Submission 9701 and see infra footnote 15.<p> 				<a name="15"><sup>8</sup></a> See Christine Elwell, Implementing International Social  				Policy, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, Winter 1997.  As predicted, the practice under  				the <u>Singapore Declaration</u> since its adoption by 128 trade ministers in December, 1996,  				is developing so that NGOs rely on its provisions in the new WTO Trade Policy Review  				Mechanism, see for example International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Report for  				the WTO General Council Review of the Trade Policy of Mexico (Geneva, 1997, copy of file  				with author).  Under this mechanism, there is a biannual peer-review of member's trade  				policy, broadly defined.  The report found, inter alia, that despite improvements with  				respect to child labour exploitation, there remains extensive discrimination against  				women, particularly in the maquilas.<p> 				<a name="16"><sup>9</sup></a> US NAFTA critics claim up to 400,000 well-paying American jobs have been lost, whereas the Administration claims a net job gain of 300,000, without specifics on wage levels, as a result of NAFTA...(Canadian statistics? add)<p> 				<a name="17"><sup>10</sup></a> See US NAO 9602.  The public submission by US and Mexican communication workers, et al, maintained that the failure of the state labour board to register an independent union, demonstrated a persistent pattern of discrimination favouring the CTM official union over others and thus, violated NAALC obligations under Part 11 Article 5.4 ensuring "impartial and independent" labour tribunals.  In addition, the failure of the board to provide the workers with the name of the purported union representing them at the plant, as well as a copy of the collective agreement violated obligations under Article 5.1 ensuring that the administration of labour laws are "fair, equitable and transparent".<p> 				<a name="18"><sup>11</sup></a> The reference here is to <b><i>Sony</i></b> (US NAO 940003) and <b><i>Maxi-Switch</i></b> (US NAO 9602).<p> 				<a name="19"><sup>12</sup></a> Maria Lorena Cook, et al, Making Free Trade More Fair: Developments in Protecting Labour Rights, Labor Law Journal, August 1997, 519 at 525.<p> 				<a name="20"><sup>13</sup></a> International Criminal Court Monitor, November, 1997 and see discussion on state responsibility to enforce international human rights, Elwell, supra fn.8.<p> 				<a name="21"><sup>14</sup></a> The international Labour Rights Fund in its NAALC review advocates the repeal of Article 43 of the NAALC that prohibits private rights of action and recommends permitting for private rights of action by employees, unions and other groups to bring legal cases in domestic courts against corporations that operate in two or more NAFTA countries with the loss of favourable trade benetifs as a penalty.<p> 				<a name="22"><sup>15</sup></a> Mexico's share of manufacturing exports are reported to have risen from 38% to 71% since 1985.  Real wages, however, have falled 21% in the past four years since NAFTA, despite a 38% rise in manufacturing productivity.  The maquiladoras sector employed over 600,000 workers at the end of 1995, an increase over the previous year and by comparison to about 100,000 workers in 1980.  The rate of unionization in this sector is said to be about 10-20% lower than in the rest of Mexico.  See ICFTU, supra fn.7.<p> 				<a name="23"><sup>16</sup></a> One need only refer to the recent resistance by the Mexican Labour Minister to even consult with counterparts about the Pregnancy Testing submission for evidence that repeatedly directing the spotlight at only one NAFTA partner can result in a backlash, although the case does represent a special type of fact situation, that is also eligible for an independent ECE review.  The case concerns gender discrimination at a number of maquiladora plants for refusing to hire female workers unless they take a pregnancy test.  The US companies in the complaint include Sunbeam Oster and General Motors, see AmericasTrade, Nov. 27, 1998.<p> 				<a name="24"><sup>17</sup></a> See Christine Elwell, Models and Options to Regulate Global Labour Markets, Canadian Council of International Law Conference Proceedings, 1997 (Ottawa, forthcoming).<p> 				<a name="25"><sup>18</sup></a> See Canadian NAO Public Submission Guidelines. 				<a name="26"><sup>19</sup></a> Promises To Keep, Securing Workers' Rights to Self Organizations under the NLRB, LLJ, Vol.96, NO.8, 1769, 1993<p> 				<a name="27"><sup>20</sup></a> Preamble of NAALC.<p> 				<a name="28"><sup>21</sup></a> Freedom of Association, the Right to Organize and Collectively Bargain: Impact on US Law and Practice, Labour Policy Association, Inc. Washington, DC, 1984, p.56<p> 				<a name="29"><sup>22</sup></a> Financial Times, July 16, 1993<p> 			</dl>			 			<li><b>UNITED STATES</b><p> 			<b><i>Lawyer's Committee for Human Rights</i><br> 			Elisa Massimino, Director, Washington Office</b><p> 			<dl> 				<dd><a name="30"><sup>1</sup> North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, Article 35 (signed January 1, 1994).<p> 			</dl> 			<b>Jerome I. Levinson<br> 			<i>American University</i></b><p> 			<dl> 				<dd> 				<a name="31"><sup>1</sup></a> Clinton, Bill. 1992 "Expanding Trade and Creating American  				Jobs".  North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina (October 4).<p> 				<a name="32"><sup>2</sup> Lustig, Nora. 1992.  MEXICO, The Remaking of an Economy.  the  				Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., p. 134.<p> 				<a name="33"><sup>3</sup> See La Botz, Dan. 1992.  <u>Mask of Democracy, Labor Suppression  				in Mexico</u> Today, an International Labor Rights and Research Fund Book,  				South End Press, Boston, Massachusetts; Levinson, Jerome. 1996.  <u>NAFTA's  				Labor Side Agreement, Lessons From the First Three Years</u>, Published Jointly  				by Institute for Policy Studies and International Labor Rights Fund,  				Washington, D.C.  Also Andres Oppenheimer. 1966.  <u>Bordering On Chaos,  				Guerrillas, Stockbrokers, Politicians, and Mexico's Road to Prosperity</u>,  				Little, Brown, New York, N.Y., PP. 146-150; Lustig at P. 12.<p> 				<a name="34"><sup>4</sup></a> Clinton at p. 3.<p> 				<a name="35"><sup>5</sup></a> Id.<p> 				<a name="36"><sup>6</sup></a> Id at p. 15.<p> 				<a name="37"><sup>7</sup></a> U.S. National Administrative Office. 1996.  "Report on Ministerial  				Consultations on NAO Submission #940003 (MDM de Mexico, Sony) Under the North  				American Agreement on Labor Cooperation." <u>Bureau of International Affairs,  				U.S. Department of Labor</u>. June 7).<p> 				<a name="38"><sup>8</sup></a> Sam Dillon. 1997 "Union Vote in Mexico Illustrates Abuses", <u>The  				New York Times INTERNATIONAL</u>, P. A8, (Monday, October 13).<p> 				<a name="39"><sup>9</sup></a> As of the writing of this Comment, there was considerable  				confusion as to the exact status of the Han Young matter.  In a follow-up  				article, Dillon wrote that the company and state government officials in Baja  				California accepted the results of the election in which a strong majority of  				workers opted for an independent union.  However, registration of the petition  				of the independent union had not as yet been approved by the local CAB. (Dec  				14, p. A4).  Subsequent reports cast doubt as to whether the state authorities,  				in fact, accepted the outcome of the election.  The confusion is symptomatic  				of the problem: four years after the NAFTA and the NAALC became effective,  				there is no clear acceptance in Mexico by the governing officials of the  				elementary proposition that a majority of workers in a maquiladora plant are  				entitled to choose an independent union and to have that choice respected by  				government authorities, national, state or municipal.  In part, that is because  				neither the Mexican or U.S. government has publicly indicated that it is  				strongly committed to core worker rights, particularly the right of free  				association.  The MDM outcome can only have reinforced that perception.<p> 				<a name="40"><sup>10</sup></a> North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. 1993. <u>Between  				the Government of the United States of America, the Government of Canada and  				the Government of the United Mexican States</u> (September).  OBLIGATIONS,  				Article 5, Paragraph 4.<p> 			</dl>	 			<li><b>MEXICO</b><p> 			<b>Norma Samaniego de Villarreal<br> 			<i>Directora General<br>Santa Fe Consultores, S.C.</i></b><p> 			<dl> 				<dd><a name="31"><sup>1</sup>   Los Estados Unidos pretendan tomar como modelo el esquema que utilizan en el otorgamiento de preferencias comerciales, en donde unilateralmente "certifican" el buen comportamiento en materia laboral de los pases a los que otorgan dichas preferencias.<p> 			</dl>	 		</ol><p> 	<!--webbot bot="ImageMap" default="review_annex5.htm" rectangle="(311,1) (455,20) review_annex5.htm" rectangle="(177,1) (305,20) 1997report.htm" rectangle="(7,0) (158,20) ../publications.htm" src="../images/3menubar.gif" border="0" alt="map" ismap width="460" height="21" startspan --> 	<map name="FrontPageMap1"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="311, 1, 455, 20" href="review_annex5_ca.htm"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="177, 1, 305, 20" href="review_annex5.htm"> 	<area shape="RECT" coords="7, 0, 158, 20" href="review_annex4.htm"> 	<area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="review_annex5.htm"> 	</map> 	<a href="../../_vti_bin/shtml.dll/english/publications/review_annex5.htm/map1"> 	<img ismap usemap="#FrontPageMap1" border="0" height="21" alt="map" src="../images/3menubar.gif" width="460"></a><!--webbot bot="ImageMap" endspan i-checksum="35534" --></font></td>   </tr>   <tr>     <td colspan="2" align="right">&nbsp;<br>     <img src="../../images/blueline.gif" width="600" height="1"></td>   </tr>   <tr>     <td colspan="2" align="right"><a href="../mailinglist.htm"><img src="../../images/maillist.gif" border="0" width="103" height="35"></a><a href="../../search.htm"><img src="../../images/search.gif" border="0" width="94" height="35"></a><a href="../publications.htm"><img src="../../images/archive.gif" border="0" width="153" height="36"></a><a href="../infocentre.htm"><img src="../../images/infocenter.gif" border="0" width="100" height="38"></a></td>   </tr>   <tr>     <td colspan="2" align="right"><img src="../../images/blueline.gif" width="600" height="1"></td>   </tr> </table> </body> </html> 
