Free Trade Agreements. The Relation between Trade and Work

[Resumo] Toda unha experiencia de máis de 10 anos de tratados de libre comercio subscritos en América Latina leva a considerar que o problema non se resolve con establecer se os aspectos laborais teñen ou non relación co tema comercial, ou se, ao seren ou non negociados, poden xerar unha vantaxe para os países socios dun acordo. É innegable a necesidade dos países de participaren a través de calquera forma de integración económica no escenario mundial, momento en que xorde a necesidade ter en conta os temas laborais como un aspecto que pode influenciar o comercio, xa que a través do factor de produción –traballo– poden obterse vantaxes comerciais de se reduciren as cargas económicas da contratación de persoas. É por iso que, á luz dunha negociación de tipo comercial entre países socios, se acordan compromisos para manter a lexislación interna laboral de cada estado e garantir os dereitos laborais fundamentais, así como os compromisos adquiridos en calidade de membros da Organización Internacional do Traballo.[Abstract] A vast experience of more than 10 years in free trade agreements signed in Latin America takes into consideration that the problem is not about defining whether labour issues are related to commercial matters or not, or if negotiating these subjects may create an advantage to the partner countries of an agreement; there is no doubt about the need for every country to participate in any form of economic integration in the global scenario and hence the need to take into account labour issues as an aspect that may influence commerce, since through the workforce commercial advantages may be acquired when economic burdens of hiring human talent are reduced. That is why in the light of a commercial trade between partner countries, commitments are agreed to maintain the inner labour laws of each country, guarantee fundamental labour rights as well as the previous commitments acquired by being a member of the International Labour Organization