Bureau of International Labor Affairs

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested a review by the Mexican government of the committee’s finding that workers’ rights were denied at a Volkswagen assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico. https://lnkd.in/eSBadaGf

ILAB is in Geneva this week representing the U.S. at the G20 Employment Working Group Meeting, where we will discuss the imperative of a #JustTransition, social protection, #GenderEquality and creating quality employment. Thanks to the International Labour Organization for hosting us this week at their headquarters.

We’re in Paris this week for the OECD - OCDE Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains to discuss tools to prevent and remedy labor rights violations in the mineral sector. ILAB is committed to addressing labor rights abuses throughout global supply chains, and we know that collective #WorkerVoice is among the most powerful tools to improve working conditions. Effective responsible business conduct involves partnering with workers to achieve better labor outcomes in mineral supply chains. #OECDrbc Want to learn more? Check out our report on worker voice and visit our new Responsible Business Conduct and Labor Rights InfoHub for resources, tools, and guidance for businesses to ensure responsible practices in their operations and supply chains. Worker voice report: https://lnkd.in/euRe7PCC #RBCInfoHub https://lnkd.in/eHrCR2N3

ILAB represented the United States in Turin, Italy, at the 3rd convening of the G7 Employment Working Group. Member states and organizations came together to identify viable policies and steps to harness the potential of artificial intelligence, with the active participation of workers and employers. Thanks to the International Labour Organization for hosting us this week at their International Training Center. #G7Italy #ILO #AI

Fishers unite! We met with workers from artisanal and commercial fleets in Ecuador and Peru to understand the issues and challenges they are facing in the fishing industry. We heard their concerns about wages and working conditions in a sector rife with labor abuses. Tackling this problem will require a climate in which #WorkerVoice and the enabling rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining can flourish. #BaitToPlate

Earlier this week U.S. Department of Labor and MTSS - Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social CR visited pineapple and banana plantations to discuss ways to advance protections of #WorkersRights and strengthen social dialogue in one of Costa Rica’s key agro export sectors. Thank you Dole for the visit and fruitful conversation!

So great to see Acting Secretary Julie Su engage with Brazilian Ambassador Maria Viotti on global labor rights and our essential Partnership for Workers’ Rights, which is tackling issues like forced labor, workplace discrimination and just transition worldwide. #WorkerPWR Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C.

We are attending Bonsucro Global Week in Mexico to advance sustainability and responsible business conduct in the sugarcane sector. Around the world, 19 countries use child labor or forced labor to harvest sugarcane. Workers are often forced to labor under abusive conditions doing hazardous work with poor living accommodations, and children working in this sector are at risk of missing school and perform dangerous tasks. Worker voice — the ability of workers to come together, collectively articulate their demands and seek better terms and conditions of work — can help address these abuses in the sugarcane supply chain. Evidence shows that worker organizations advance equality, racial and gender equity, good jobs and healthier and safer workplaces. Empowered workers also play an essential role in identifying, remediating and preventing labor risks in company supply chains. When workers have a voice, everyone benefits. Check out our #WorkerVoice research to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dy-KBhzD

A celebration of #AANHPI fashion and culture! ILAB’s own Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee and the department’s Asian Pacific American Council sponsored a celebration of AANHPI employees at the U.S. Department of Labor, many of whom wore traditional clothing and shared their family’s textile traditions with us. ILAB’s Deputy Undersecretary Thea Lee gave remarks, tapping into her own heritage at the event. #DEIA

We’ve been in Ecuador and Peru where the International Labour Organization is implementing our project addressing labor abuses associated with Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. As part of the program, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is training labor inspectors and other relevant authorities on how to conduct inspections at port to identify labor abuses. Integrating labor compliance into port inspections is vital to curbing abuses in this sector. Learn more about our project: https://lnkd.in/eG466fHT #BaitToPlate