ILO / LABOUR PROVISIONS

A new study of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said labour provisions in trade agreements do not lead to a reduction or diversion of trade flows, and ease labour market access. ILO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:53
• Production Date: 18 July 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION - ILO
• Subject Topical: LABOUR
• MAMS Id: 1674326
• Parent Id: 1674326
• Alternate Title: unifeed160718d

Description

STORY: ILO / LABOUR PROVISIONS
TRT: 01:52
SOURCE: ILO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 18 JULY 2016

Shotlist

RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1.Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

18 JULY 2016, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2.Wide shot, pan to the right, journalists
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General for Policy, ILO:
“Labour provisions in trade agreements do not divert or decrease trade flows. In fact, the study finds that trade agreements, with and without labour provisions boost trade by roughly the same extent. This is an important finding because often we hear that labour provisions should not be included in trade agreements because they’ll have a negative effect on trade.”
4.Close up, pages of Assessment of Labour Provisions in Trade and Investment Arrangements
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General for Policy, ILO:
“Second the report finds that labour provisions ease labour market access particularly for working age women. The study finds that trade agreements with labour provisions increased labour force participation rates more than trade agreements that don’t have labour provisions. And the rate of labour force participation is even higher for women, than for men.”
6.Med shot, journalist
7.SOUNDBITE (English) Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General for Policy, ILO:
“At the country level, we find evidence of the impact of labour provisions on the narrowing of the gender wage gap so the gender-related impact of labour provisions seems quite important to us.”
8.Med shot, journalist
9.SOUNDBITE (English) Marva Corley-Coulibaly, Senior Economist, ILO:
“One of the findings, particularly in the case of the Cambodia-US bilateral trade agreement is a gender-related component, and that there is a reduction in the gender pay gap as a direct result of this agreement with labour provisions. The gender pay gap was reduced by about one-third in the textile sector during the period of analysis while it remained virtually unchanged in other manufacturing sectors.”
10.Wide shot, pan to the right, journalists

Storyline

A new study of the International Labour Organization (ILO) finds that labour provisions in trade agreements do not lead to a reduction or diversion of trade flows, and ease labour market access.

According to ILO, “trade-related labour provisions take into consideration any standard which addresses labour relations or minimum working terms or conditions, mechanisms for monitoring or promoting compliance, and/or a framework for cooperation. This definition groups together a broad range of labour provisions.”

Speaking to the journalists in Geneva, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy Deborah Greenfield said “labour provisions in trade agreements do not divert or decrease trade flows. In fact, the study finds that trade agreements, with and without labour provisions boost trade by roughly the same extent. This is an important finding because often we hear that labour provisions should not be included in trade agreements because they’ll have a negative effect on trade.”

She added “the report finds that labour provisions ease labour market access particularly for working age women. The study finds that trade agreements with labour provisions increased labour force participation rates more than trade agreements that don’t have labour provisions. And the rate of labour force participation is even higher for women, than for men. At the country level, we find evidence of the impact of labour provisions on the narrowing of the gender wage gap so the gender-related impact of labour provisions seems quite important to us.”

On the Cambodia-US bilateral trade agreement, Marva Corley-Coulibaly, ILO Senior Economist told reporters “there is a reduction in the gender pay gap as a direct result of this agreement with labour provisions. The gender pay gap was reduced by about one-third in the textile sector during the period of analysis while it remained virtually unchanged in other manufacturing sectors.”