READOUT: US Department of Labor, Argentina’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare hold labor dialogue in Buenos Aires

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee traveled to Buenos Aires from May 9-10 to join the U.S.-Argentina Labor Dialogue, a high-level annual event that provides a forum for both countries to discuss challenges and opportunities to advance shared labor and employment priorities.

The event included sessions on inclusive economic recovery; combating child labor, forced labor and human trafficking; strengthening dialogue among workers, employers and governments; and promoting the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment and Rights regionally and globally. The meetings culminated in issuance of a joint statement on labor cooperation.

“Although the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment and Rights originated in the U.S., it now belongs to all its partners,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “As a country with a long history of strong democratic unions and its status as an M-POWER founder, Argentina will be an invaluable and active partner in the partnership’s work, especially in those countries where workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively are at risk.”

The dialogue included a conversation about Argentina’s implementation of its M-POWER commitment that also involved key labor unions and other workers’ groups. Argentina joined M-POWER as a founding partner in December 2022, when the initiative launched.