The United States says it would go for actions like sanctions, trade penalties, and visa restrictions against those who threaten, intimidate, and attack union leaders, labour-rights defenders and labour organisations.
"…we will work to hold accountable those who threaten, who intimidate, who attack union leaders, labour rights defenders, labour organisations - including using things like sanctions, trade penalties, visa restrictions - all the tools in our kit," US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken said.
He made the remarks at the rollout of the Presidential Memorandum on "Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labour Standards Globally" on November 16.
Secretary Blinken further said: "We want to be there for people like Kalpona Atker, a Bangladeshi garment worker and activist, who says that she is alive today because the U.S. embassy advocated on her behalf.
He said when the US uses its voice and advocacy around the world, it can make a concrete difference in making sure that those who are trying to advance labour rights are protected and defended.
"…We believe that every worker deserves to have their rights and dignity respected. That aligns with our deepest values. It also advances our interests, because it's one of the most effective ways to promote broad-based, inclusive economic growth - which ultimately benefits American consumers, workers, businesses, investors. This is - we know it from our history, we know it from our experience - this is what lifts entire societies," Secretary Blinken said.
Lauding the roles and contributions of workers and trade unions, he said unions reduce gender and pay - gender and racial pay gaps; that makes societies fairer.
"For all these reasons, the United States Government has been taking action to promote and defend the rights of working people - both here in the United States but also around the world, he said.
Advocating for the rights of workers and raising labour standards - that is a central part of our diplomacy; it's a central part of our efforts at the Department of State, Secretary Blinken observed.
"So as you heard Kelly say today, President Biden signed a new Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labour Standards Globally," he said.
Mentioning that it formally recognizes that labour rights are key to our national security and to our foreign policy, he said: "this is not simply a domestic issue; it is for us a matter of national security, a matter of foreign policy."
..We will engage governments, workers, labour organizations, trade unions, civil society, and the private sector around the world to protect and promote respect for internationally recognized labour rights," said Secretary Blinken.
That means, for instance, that all of our ambassadors, all of the folks running our embassies around the world, will engage with workers, with unions so that their voices are reflected in everything that we do, he stated.
"We will strengthen the federal government's capacity to advance worker rights abroad by prioritizing greater job opportunities for employees with labour expertise, training our personnel to know about worker rights, to look for and prevent abuses," he said.
Besides, the US will work with governments and multilateral institutions like the United Nations, with the G20, to promote labour rights and standards.
"…we will step up our due diligence and enforcement to ensure that our own trade agreements, supply chains, protect workers, and that we're not importing goods made with forced labour," said Secretary Blinken.
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