Reply #18: Keep reading...Rangel's sugarcoating debunked by labor leaders

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http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/09/secret_trade_deal_new_report_s.html

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The Associated Press reports that Rangel justified his push for the Peru deal by saying he has been "favorably impressed" with Peru's "commitment to labor rights, including the right of Peruvian workers to belong to unions and to participate in strikes for better wages and benefits." But, as Inside U.S. Trade reports, Peruvian labor leaders are expressing concern that the supposed labor improvements to the Peru Free Trade Agreement are more mirage than reality. " said the commitment is limited because it does not change Peruvian labor laws through legislation, and because many of the problems regarding labor rights are related to a lack of capacity or political will for effective enforcement," the newsletter reports. "For these reasons, one source said the decrees would only be a 'gesture' to the United States." The Peruvian labor movement released a letter to the U.S. Congress expressing these concerns and explicitly asking members of Congress to vote "no" on the Peru FTA.

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