Yesterday, the U.S. Trade Representative initiated forced labor investigations into 60 of the United States’ largest trading partners under Section 301 of the Trade Act, a trade enforcement tool historically used to levy tariffs. The stated rationale for the investigations is to determine if those partners have failed to prevent the import of goods produced with forced labor, creating an unfair competitive advantage over US businesses. For Transparentem, the measure of any forced labor action is whether it will deliver real change for workers.
We support forced labor import bans and are glad to see an increase in attention to the pervasive issue of forced labor. Enforcement is necessary as a remedy of last resort when corporate self-regulation proves insufficient, which is too often the case. Its application can represent real progress for workers who have long lacked recourse and can put additional pressure on all actors to eradicate ongoing abuse.
Too many companies continue to fail the workers in their supply chains. Despite years of voluntary commitments and public pledges, forced labor persists, often hidden behind layers of subcontracting that brands claim they cannot see or do not control. Workers cannot wait for recalcitrant companies to act.
However, forced labor enforcement requires investment in the capacity to deliver change for workers. It requires funding for international technical assistance programs, the programs that help governments, organized labor, and civil society develop the capacity to identify and remediate forced labor. Using import bans to impose tariffs, without tangible mechanisms to improve conditions or deliver remedy, runs the serious risk of not helping workers at all.
Transparentem stands ready to work with governments, companies, and labor advocates to ensure that forced labor enforcement delivers real change. Forced labor enforcement has always been — and must remain — about the workers at its center.
Press contact:
Elizabeth Kester, Director of Partnerships & Communications
E: elizabeth.kester@transparentem.org