USLEAP Releases Report on Worker Rights Under New Guatemalan Government

USLEAP released a full report on its conclusions from a fact-finding mission to Guatemala in July. The report details the status of worker rights under the new government of Alvaro Colom. Initial expectations that the change of government would open a new era for the ability of workers to exercise their basic rights are fading fast, seven months after the new administration took office in January 2008, according to Guatemalan labor union leaders.   A notable rise in violence against trade unionists has been accompanied by near total impunity as well as the government’s failure to address wide-spread worker rights violations.   Most concerning for U.S. policy makers and worker rights supporters, according to the report, the mission found strong evidence that U.S. policy and leverage for supporting worker rights in Guatemala has weakened significantly with the passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Click below to read the full report.