ILAB - Programs - OTLA - Division of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical Cooperation (TAATC)

Division of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical Cooperation (TAATC)

The Division of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical Cooperation (TAATC) administers the labor provisions of U.S. free trade agreements and provides technical assistance to improve the labor conditions of workers internationally.

About the twin roles of TAATC:

The Trade Agreement Administration Component:
TAATC is responsible for administering several functions related to the labor provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements. TAATC is the designated contact point within OTLA for labor cooperation in each of the trade agreements. As such, TAATC communicates regularly with trade partner ministries and with international organizations to develop a broader understanding of labor issues in partner countries and to make suggestions or provide assistance in helping these countries strengthen their labor standards. Also, if allegations are made through public submissions that a trade partner has failed to adhere to conditions of the labor chapter of a free trade agreement, TAATC is responsible for conducting a review of the submission.

The Technical Assistance Component:
TAATC works with other governments and international organizations to identify assistance that countries may require to improve the labor conditions of their citizens. Since 1995, TAATC has developed programs in more than seventy countries addressing a wide range of labor issues:

Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health Inspections
Modernized labor inspectorates providing more effective oversight necessary to ensure that workers are employed in safe environments and that their employment rights are protected (Bahrain, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, and Serbia).
Post-Conflict Assistance
Re-trained, employed and reintegrated demobilized soldiers and people economically dislocated and victimized by war, e.g., those suffering war-connected disabilities and war widows (Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iraq).
Pension Reform
Assisted foreign governments modernize pension collections and develop voluntary contribution systems for employees in public and private sectors (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovenia).
Local Economic Development
Over 200 community projects developed in economically distressed regions of Eastern Europe resulting in the creation of small businesses and jobs (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine).
Gender Equity in the Workplace
Assisted foreign governments and employers develop policies and practices that promoted equal treatment and opportunities for women workers (Bangladesh, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India, Morocco and Ukraine).
Adherence To International Core Labor Standards
In FY 2008, Congress provided $5 million to implement model programs to assure adherence to international core labor standards in countries with which the United States provides trade preferences (Afghanistan, Columbia, Haiti and Tanzania).
HIV-AIDS Education in the Workplace
Launched programs in almost thirty countries to educate workers in the behaviors that lead to HIV/AIDS infections, to reduce discrimination in the workplace against infected workers and to provide referral information for diagnosis and medical assistance (Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Lesotho, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zimbabwe).

For additional information, please see the TAATC Fact Sheet.