Towards a Fair Global Labour Market - Avoiding a New Slave Trade (Electronic book text)

There is no longer any doubt that markets in goods, services and capital are operating on a global scale. However it now seems the market for labour is also moving towards globalisation. If this is the case, can nation-states, workers and employers maintain effective labour regulation? Should the World Trade Organization adopt core labour standards developed by the International Labour Organization? Towards a Fair Global Labour Market addresses these questions from legal, economic, social and cultural perspectives. The authors consider the effects of free trade and investment, with and without labour standards, on employment, competitiveness, wages and working conditions in a global economy. Deriving and analysing policy options, they seek ways in which principles of labour regulation can operate at an international level. The work concludes with a call for a rule-based global trading system in which core labour standards play a significant part. Arguing that free trade should not become coercive trade, Towards a Fair Global Labour Market will be essential reading for those interested in human rights issues, labour law, international affairs, economics and development. Ozay Mehmet is Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, specializing in development economics. His previous publications include Westernizing the Third World (Routledge, 1995). Errol Mendes is Professor of Law and Director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Robert Sinding practices labour law in Toronto, Canada, and writes on international affairs and labour relations policy.