EU to reward countries that respect workers’ rights
The European Union (EU) is to incorporate incentives to encourage trading partners to respect workers’ rights, according to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The incentives will be included in the Generalised System of Preferences or GSP for 2002-2004.
Key to better access to the EU’s huge potential market will be the protection of labour and environmental standards in the exporting countries. More specifically, countries will be judged on the 1998 ILO Declaration on Core Labour Standards.
Emilio Gabaglio, General Secretary of the ETUC welcomed the decision, saying the move was overdue, "especially after the failure of the WTO Doha Conference on social standards," adding: "it is highly important that the European Union, while opening its market to developing countries, is ready to give additional advantages to those countries committed to respecting workers’ rights."
