EU must act now on labour rights in Georgia

The ITUC has applauded the decision by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to examine whether Georgia should continue to receive US trade preferences in view of the poor labour rights record of President Saakashvili’s government.The USTR action follows a request submitted by the AFL-CIO. The European Union has so far refused to take similar action, even though its rules for trade preferences have stronger labour standards for beneficiary countries than does the US. “Europe has strong social values, and it is deeply disappointing that in relation to Georgia, they are not