Levin: Major changes needed before Colombia trade pact can proceed [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

Levin: Major changes needed before Colombia trade pact can proceed
By Howard Schneider, Tuesday, March 29, 11:21 PM

The government of Colombia needs to make extensive changes to its laws and bolster its protection of union members before a free trade agreement moves forward, a key Democratic lawmaker said Tuesday in the most explicit statement yet of the hurdles facing the proposed Colombia-U.S. trade deal.

The comments by Rep. Sander M. Levin(D-Mich.), ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee and an important voice on trade issues, shows the quandary faced by the Obama administration. It is trying to push a recently negotiated agreement with Korea through Congress amid Republican demands that long-pending deals with Colombia and Panama move as well.

Levin’s comments in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics raise the prospect of Democratic opposition to the Colombia deal in particular. He urged the administration to pursue separate action on the different agreements, and to pressure the Republican House leadership to vote on Korea now. The work to be done on the other agreements, particularly Colombia, can’t be rushed, Levin said.

“They need to change their laws and they have to take steps” to ensure that workers can organize and that violence against union leaders is prosecuted, Levin said. Although Levin said he believes the new administration of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is sincere about improving conditions for unions in the country, the reforms that are needed are complex and have been stymied in the country’s legislature before.




Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/levin-major-changes-needed-before-colombia-trade-pact-can-proceed/2011/03/29/AFGp5FzB_story.html