Protecting workers’ rights in trade deals is essential to ensure trade is fair. If trade deals don’t contain effective protections for workers’ rights, they just make it easier for companies to locate themselves in countries where wages are lower and workers are less able to resist exploitation. Unfortunately trade deals the UK is currently involved…
Today the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave an important boost to the case for scrapping Investor State Dispute Settlement, as well as other corporate court systems like it, in trade agreements. Part of the ECJ’s ruling today was that trade deals that contain ISDS need to be ratified in EU member countries as well as European level. This…
This week the think tank OpenEurope published a report with recommendations for Britain’s future trade after it leaves the EU. It suggests that Britain may be able to make up much of its shortfall in trade resulting from leaving the EU by strengthening its trade, particularly in services, with countries like India, Canada, Israel and…
Yesterday the TUC responded to the European Commission’s consultation on its plans to develop a global version of the notorious Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system. ISDS is the court system found in thousands of trade and investment agreements that foreign investors have used to sue governments when they feel their profits have been threatened. Like the Investor-State…
On Tuesday I spoke at a conference held at the OECD in Paris on the costs and benefits of investment protection agreements like Investor-State Dispute Settlement. In the morning conference participants had heard something important – the experts gathered by the OECD had, in all their extensive studies, found no evidence that there were benefits…
Today the European Parliament voted 408 in favour of the EU-Canada deal known as CETA with 254 votes against. This means that about 90% of the deal comes into force and paves the way for the deal to be sent to the UK parliament for approval. If the UK parliament agrees to CETA we will…
Last week I spoke at a conference organised by the TUC and Exeter University on ‘Confronting change: Globalization, Migration and Precarious Labour in the Age of Brexit.’ This is a summary of my speech. As conditions have become more insecure for workers since 2006 – a recent TUC report showed 1 in 10 workers are now…
Today chambers of commerce representing businesses and TUC offices across the country put out joint statements calling for the government to stop stalling and give EU citizens the right to remain. These joint statements back the open letter the heads of the TUC and British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) sent to the Prime Minister on…
Yesterday the Employment and Social Affairs committee of the European Parliament voted to reject the notorious EU-Canada (CETA) trade deal because of the negative impact it would have on workers. While this vote was not binding – the vote on whether to accept the deal will ultimately be made in the European Parliament at the…
This week has seen a string of headlines about prospects for EU citizens in the UK and Brits in the EU’s right to remain after Brexit. Much of the media took aim at EU leaders – particularly German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Council Donald Tusk – for apparently halting progress on the issue. What Merkel and…