EU-Korea Trade Agreement - Korea must address long-standing issues on labour standards says EU

05/07/2019

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On July 5, the EU triggered the second phase of an arbitration procedure under the EU-Korea trade agreement - in place since 2011 - by requesting a panel to address persistent labour rights concerns in Korea. « Trade needs (...) to go hand in hand with workers’ rights » said EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström following Korea’s failure to provide solutions to the issues raised once again during the latest round of consultations.

FIDH, as vice-chair of the EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG), which includes environment, labour, business organisations and other relevant stakeholders, requested the European Commission (EC) to initiate the formal consultations process provided for in the EU-Korea Trade Agreement concerning violations of labour rights. It is the EC’s role to monitor the implementation of trade commitments such as respect for international standards as regards workers’ rights, the ratification and implementation of a number of fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), setting domestic legal guarantees on the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.