Why should the WTO reject the move to regulate core labour standards in India?
Because the impact of globalisation on labour standards, focusing on India’s garment export industry. Manufacturers in the labour intensive garment industry are significant because as employers, they implement labour standards and compete in the global market. A debate has taken place on whether or not a social clause should be included in the framework of the WTO. The social clause would link international trade with basic worker’s rights. A breach of the basic labour standards agreed in international conventions, such as the eight core labour standards conventions from the ILO, would give other states a right to impose trade sanctions upon the breaching party. The overarching aim of such sanctions should be to ensure and promote the respect of the core labour standards worldwide. However, sanctions may not be the best way to advance labour standards; they may not even improve the situation in developing countries at all. Many developing countries strongly oppose any such measures. Sw
