WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee met recently with Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan to discuss issues of forced labor, worker voice, and protection of labor rights in the context of bilateral engagement and technical assistance work.

WASHINGTON – On May 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee met with Vietnam’s Minister for Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung to discuss labor issues of mutual interest.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today renewed partnerships with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to strengthen collaboration with their U.S. embassies and consulates, and to provide information about laws governing workplace safety and health, wages and work hours, and other employment issues individuals from these countries face while working in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative met with their Republic of Korea counterparts on April 25, 2022, as members of the Labor Affairs Council established as part of the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, or KORUS.

MEXICO CITY– During an official visit to Mexico, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su today announced new investments by the department to support strengthening workers’ rights, promoting freedom of association, the right to bargain collectively, and the elimination of child and forced labor.

WASHINGTON – In the first visit by a high-level U.S. Department of Labor official to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in nearly 20 years, Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee met from Feb. 28 to March 2 with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, other high-ranking officials and with union leaders, business executives, members of Parliament and others, to discuss strengthening and enforcing workers’ rights, especially in the minerals sector.

WASHINGTON –Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai released statements today following yesterday’s vote at the Tridonex auto parts facility in Matamoros, Mexico, when workers voted to choose which union will have the right to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement on their behalf. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $12 million in funding to empower federal and state labor inspectors in Mexico to improve enforcement of the country’s landmark 2019 labor law reform in five states, with a focus on Northern States.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $4.5 million cooperative agreement with Pact Inc., an international nonprofit organization, to combat child labor in mica-producing communities in Madagascar.

WASHINGTON – From Feb. 1 through Feb. 2, approximately 5,400 workers – nearly 90 percent of eligible workers – cast votes in an historic election at the General Motors’ facility in Silao, Mexico, to determine which of the four unions on the ballot will exercise collective bargaining rights.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor – in collaboration with the Departments of the Treasury, State, Commerce, Homeland Security and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative – today issued a Burma Business Advisory highlighting the risks of doing business due to corruption, illicit finance and human rights abuses.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the awards of $14 million in cooperative agreements to support a broad set of actions by two projects intended to combat child labor, forced labor and human trafficking, which affects more than 200 million children, women and men worldwide.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of an $8.4 million cooperative agreement to the Pan American Development Foundation to empower civil society organizations and workers’ organizations to address child labor, forced labor and other unacceptable working conditions in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The project will promote gender and racial equity and prioritize people of African descent, Garifuna and indigenous communities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $5 million in a cooperative agreement for the International Labour Organization focused on strengthening decent working conditions in Peru and Ecuador by combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in coastal communities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $10 million cooperative agreement to Partners of the Americas to strengthen gender equity efforts in Mexico and reduce workplace discrimination and harassment.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $5 million cooperative agreement to Social Accountability International to prevent and reduce forced labor and child labor abuses in the Malaysian palm oil and garment industries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of an $8 million grant to support a global health organization’s efforts to improve workplace safety and health in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $5 million cooperative agreement to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity to improve workers’ rights in agricultural supply chains in Honduras and Guatemala, and the garment sector in El Salvador.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $3 million cooperative agreement to the International Labour Organization to improve compliance with international labor standards in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project will seek to strengthen the ability of governments, employers and workers to improve work conditions related to wages and hours and workplace safety.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $10 million cooperative agreement to American Institutes for Research to strengthen the labor mediation process in Mexico, by increasing transparency in labor disputes and improving the country’s labor justice system.