A new ITUC report issued today on Argentina reveals shortcomings in the application and effective enforcement of core labour standards in the country, mainly regarding freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike. The ITUC report coincides with Argentina’s trade policy review at the WTO on 12-14 February.

Only the most representative trade union in a given sector and within a geographical region can be granted trade union rights in Argentina, something that has been criticised by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO. Equally, this body has criticized the low tolerance of strike action in Argentina.

This new ITUC survey shows that discrimination towards women, disabled and indigenous people persists in Argentina and highlights the fact that child labour remains widespread.

The report concludes with a number of recommendations and conclusions addressed to the government of Argentina in order to redress its non compliance with ILO recommendations and aimed at achieving effective policies to tackle the problems of trade union rights, discrimination, child labour and trafficking of people in the country.

Founded on 1 November 2006, the ITUC represents 168 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 304 national affiliates.

Website: www.ituc-csi.org

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on +32 2 224 02 10 or +32 476 621 018