Australian Unions welcome the release of the ALP’s trade policy and are especially positive about its plan take action to remove investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses from trade agreements and the restoration of labour market testing.
Quotes attributable to ACTU President Ged Kearney:
“The ALP’s announcement that it will look to remove ISDS clauses from Australia’s trade and international agreements is a very welcome move as it means corporations will not have the power to sue our government merely to protect their profits.”
“Its pledge to restore labour market testing requirements protects Australian jobs and helps prevent exploitation of migrant workers, while releasing drafts of proposed agreements for public scrutiny is a practical and welcome move towards transparency and accountability.”
“Too often the balance struck in these sort of deals is unfair, resulting in the handing over of power to multi-national companies in secretive negotiations.”
“Winding back this imbalance is a crucial step in mitigating the damaging impact of the government’s determination to sign Australia up to damaging agreements such as ChAFTA and the TPP.”
