Brasília, November 21, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister of Labor and Employment, and president of the Conference of Labor Ministers of the Americas (OAS), Jaques Wagner, proposed yesterday (20), in a speech at the FTAA Ministerial Meeting in Miami, a joint meeting of Ministers of Labor and Trade from all 34 OAS countries. Wagner also suggested that the FTAA Ministers include the problems of employment in the Americas in their debates on the trade agreement, to strengthen the labor dimension in economic policy.

Wagner also called for "decent labor," according to the norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and its use as a protectionist policy on behalf of workers. The US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellic, who presided the session, expressed interest in such a meeting.

"We should like to suggest that Your Excellencies consider the possibility of our using the available institutional means to establish a fruitful and regular dialogue between our Ministries, and also involve organizations of employers and workers, to examine the socio-labor components of the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the anticipation of its effects on local and regional levels. At an opportune place and time, I want to suggest a meeting of Ministers in charge of Trade in the hemisphere and Ministers of Labor, where we could focus on points of intersection between our areas and, on that basis, seek to agree upon a positive agenda of policies and activities for the Continent," the Minister proposed.

Wagner handed Zoellick the full text of the Working Group's report on "The Socio-labor Dimension of the Summit Process of the Americas." During the two-year term of the Thirteenth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OAS, this group will intensify its studies on the effects of globalization on employment and work, to see about enhancing possibilities for integration between economic and social polcies.

The report considers that economic integration is vital to the future of workers in the hemisphere. The growing flow of productive investments, cross-border trade free of protectionist discrimination, and secure international markets are essential for the economic growth and development of countries.

(Information provided by the Ministry of Labor and Employment) (DAS)