At the Labor and Employment Policy Committee (LEPC) meeting in November, members decided to adopt a new structure and action plan for the committee.  The new mission of LEPC is to pursue a proactive and coordinated strategy to positively influence international human resources and social policy.  It will also support labor market flexibility and best practices in an open system of world trade.

The revised structure of the committee will consist of a steering group, whose main roles will be to monitor progress on action items, review overall priorities for the committee, and serve as a cross-sectoral rapid reaction team, and four Working Groups– Worker Rights and Trade, International Business Integration, Foreign and International Law, and International Labor Organization.  These groups will be the LEPC’s centers of expertise, and membership will be open to any interested LEPC member.

Another main focus of the meeting was improving trade with Central America. Bud Clatanoff (USTR) updated the committee on the present state of negotiations of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and delineated a three-part approach to improving respect for worker rights and working conditions in Central America. He said that efforts are being made to get governments to commit to labor legislation and enforcement. 

Tamsin Randlett (Gap, Inc.) showed strong support for the passage of CAFTA and introduced a related project, “Export Success in Central America,” to the committee. This program aims to take a pro-active approach to capacity-building in Central American countries by the private sector through the formation of a multi-industry alliance, Business Coalition for Capacity Building.
 
Other topics discussed at the committee meeting include the new and emerging international occupational safety and health (OSH) issues.  Michael Taubitz (General Motors) stressed the importance of staying up to date on European and ILO developments, and to use business organizations and coalitions to engage strategies early enough to influence the agenda.

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