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TPP's provisions on labor laws and human rights

September 23, 2016 | All Grades
By Ashraf Badr

Doctors examine 2-year-old Rifki Aldiansyah for symptoms of mercury poisoning. Rifki was in good health until his third month when he began losing motor control. Rifki's mother, right, lived in Cisungsang, a nearby mining community, and said her home was surrounded by gold processing centers. Image by Larry C. Price. Indonesia, 2015.

Tina Alvarenga, a former "criada," is an indigenous rights activist and consultant to UNICEF. "You lose your roots, your sense of identity," she says of the system. Image by Simeon Tegel. Paraguay, 2016.

A man loads chicks into crates at Haiti Broilers. Image by Larry McCormack. Haiti, 2016.

Gloria Isabel Ramirez, nearly crippled after a lifetime as a flower worker. Image by Stephen Franklin. Colombia, 2013.

A meeting of workers deported by the U.S. government after the Postville, Iowa kosher meat-packing plant raid. Image by Samuel Loewenberg. Guatemala, 2009.

Palm oil is shown after being extracted from palm fruits at the palm oil processing plant in Cabuyaro, Colombia. Image by Gabe Silverman/The Washington Post. Colombia, 2014.

William Somarriba claims he was fired as a taxman for the Nicaraguan government because he didn't belong to the ruling Sandinista party. Image by Tim Rogers. Nicaragua, 2012.

Image by Amy Toensing.

Rana Plaza survivor Saddam Hossain recovers in a hospital after the building collapse claimed part of his right arm. Image by Golam Mortuja. Bangladesh, 2016.

Rana Plaza survivor Saddam Hossain recovers in a hospital after the building collapse claimed part of his right arm. Image by Golam Mortuja. Bangladesh, 2016.

Young boys help stack bricks inside a kiln in Dhading district, Nepal. Despite a national law that bans children under the age of 14 from working, such scenes are commonplace in the country’s brick making industry. Image and caption by Ann Hermes. Nepal, 2016.

Young chickens line up for a meal in Gressier. The young brood will be nurtured for 42 days and then sent to market. Image by Larry McCormack. Haiti, 2016.

My thought is to compare the effects of previous trade agreements on labor rights with the legal protection language offered in the text of the TPP agreement. The sources I have included from Pulitzer, as well as the links below should help us get an idea.

To start, this is a website showcasing the positive impact TPP would have to labor rights:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a win for all parties

Now on to those highlighting the negative side:

This is a blog about the perceived negative effects TPP would have on labor rights:

Obama's Pacific Trade Deal Is No Deal At All

A Q&A on TPP that includes some questions about human and labor rights:

Q&A: The Trans-Pacific Partnership

Another article comparing TPP to previous trade agreements to prove the negative impact on labor rights:

Will The Trans-Pacific Partnership Improve Labor Standards?

Here is a website containing the text of the TPP agreement. My focus is on the sections containing labor rights issues towards the end.

Text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

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