NORTH AMERICAN AGREEMENT ON LABOR COOPERATION BETWEEN
THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

PART SIX: GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 42: Enforcement Principle

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to empower a Party's authorities to undertake labor law enforcement activities in the territory of another Party.

Article 43: Private Rights

No Party may provide for a right of action under its domestic law against any other Party on the ground that another Party has acted in a manner inconsistent with this Agreement.

Article 44: Protection of Information

1. If a Party provides confidential or proprietary information to another Party, including its NAO, the Council or the Secretariat, the recipient shall treat the information on the same basis as the Party providing the information.

2. Confidential or proprietary information provided by a Party to an ECE or a panel under this Agreement shall be treated in accordance with the rules of procedure established under Articles 24 and 33.

Article 45: Cooperation with the ILO

The Parties shall seek to establish cooperative arrangements with the ILO to enable the Council and Parties to draw on the expertise and experience of the ILO for purposes of implementing Article 24(1).

Article 46: Extent of Obligations

Annex 46 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex.

Article 47: Funding of the Commission

Each Party shall contribute an equal share of the annual budget of the Commission, subject to the availability of appropriated funds in accordance with the Party's legal procedures. No Party shall be obligated to pay more than any other Party in respect of an annual budget.

Article 48: Privileges and Immunities

The Executive Director and staff of the Secretariat shall enjoy in the territory of each of the Parties such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of their functions.

Article 49: Definitions

1. For purposes of this Agreement:

A Party has not failed to "effectively enforce its occupational safety and health, child labor or minimum wage technical labor standards" or comply with Article 3(1) in a particular case where the action or inaction by agencies or officials of that Party:

(a) reflects a reasonable exercise of the agency's or the official's discretion with respect to investigatory, prosecutorial, regulatory or compliance matters; or

(b) results from bona fide decisions to allocate resources to enforcement in respect of other labor matters determined to have higher priorities;

"labor law" means laws and regulations, or provisions thereof, that are directly related to:

(a) freedom of association and protection of the right to organize;

(b) the right to bargain collectively;

(c) the right to strike;

(d) prohibition of forced labor;

(e) labor protections for children and young persons;

(f) minimum employment standards, such as minimum wages and overtime pay, covering wage earners, including those not covered by collective agreements;

(g) elimination of employment discrimination on the basis of grounds such as race, religion, age, sex, or other grounds as determined by each Party's domestic laws;

(h) equal pay for men and women;

(i) prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses;

(j) compensation in cases of occupational injuries and illnesses;

(k) protection of migrant workers;

"mutually recognized labor laws" means laws of both a requesting Party and the Party whose laws were the subject of ministerial consultations under Article 22 that address the same general subject matter in a manner that provides enforceable rights, protections or standards;

"pattern of practice" means a course of action or inaction beginning after the date of entry into force of the Agreement, and does not include a single instance or case;

"persistent pattern" means a sustained or recurring pattern of practice;

"province" means a province of Canada, and includes the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories and their successors;

"publicly available information" means information to which the public has a legal right under the statutory laws of the Party;

"technical labor standards" means laws and regulations, or specific provisions thereof, that are directly related to subparagraphs (d) through (k) of the definition of labor law. For greater certainty and consistent with the provisions of this Agreement, the setting of all standards and levels in respect of minimum wages and labor protections for children and young persons by each Party shall not be subject to obligations under this Agreement. Each Party's obligations under this Agreement pertain to enforcing the level of the general minimum wage and child labor age limits established by that Party;

"territory" means for a Party the territory of that Party as set out in Annex 49; and

"trade-related" means related to a situation involving workplaces, firms, companies or sectors that produce goods or provide services:

(a) traded between the territories of the Parties; or

(b) that compete, in the territory of the Party whose labor law was the subject of ministerial consultations under Article 22, with goods or services produced or provided by persons of another Party.

Article 50: Annexes

The Annexes to this Agreement constitute an integral part of the Agreement.

Article 51: Entry into Force

This Agreement shall enter into force on January 1, 1994, immediately after entry into force of the NAFTA, on an exchange of written notifications certifying the completion of necessary legal procedures.

Article 52: Amendments

1. The Parties may agree on any modification of or addition to this Agreement.

2. When so agreed, and approved in accordance with the applicable legal procedures of each Party, a modification or addition shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

Article 53: Accession

Any country or group of countries may accede to this Agreement subject to such terms and conditions as may be agreed between such country or countries and the Council and following approval in accordance with the applicable legal procedures of each country.

Article 54: Withdrawal

A Party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other Parties. If a Party withdraws, the Agreement shall remain in force for the remaining Parties.

Article 55: Authentic Texts

The English, French and Spanish texts of this Agreement are equally authentic.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized by the respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

ANNEX 1 : LABOR PRINCIPLES

The following are guiding principles that the Parties are committed to promote, subject to each Party's domestic law, but do not establish common minimum standards for their domestic law. They indicate broad areas of concern where the Parties have developed, each in its own way, laws, regulations, procedures and practices that protect the rights and interests of their respective workforces.

1. Freedom of association and protection of the right to organize

The right of workers exercised freely and without impediment to establish and join organizations of their own choosing to further and defend their interests.

2. The right to bargain collectively

The protection of the right of organized workers to freely engage in collective bargaining on matters concerning the terms and conditions of employment.

3. The right to strike

The protection of the right of workers to strike in order to defend their collective interests.

4. Prohibition of forced labor

The prohibition and suppression of all forms of forced or compulsory labor, except for types of compulsory work generally considered acceptable by the Parties, such as compulsory military service, certain civic obligations, prison labor not for private purposes and work exacted in cases of emergency.

5. Labor protections for children and young persons

The establishment of restrictions on the employment of children and young persons that may vary taking into consideration relevant factors likely to jeopardize the full physical, mental and moral development of young persons, including schooling and safety requirements.

6. Minimum employment standards

The establishment of minimum employment standards, such as minimum wages and overtime pay, for wage earners, including those not covered by collective agreements.

7. Elimination of employment discrimination

Elimination of employment discrimination on such grounds as race, religion, age, sex or other grounds, subject to certain reasonable exceptions, such as, where applicable, bona fide occupational requirements or qualifications and established practices or rules governing retirement ages, and special measures of protection or assistance for particular groups designed to take into account the effects of discrimination.

8. Equal pay for women and men

Equal wages for women and men by applying the principle of equal pay for equal work in the same establishment.

9. Prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses

Prescribing and implementing standards to minimize the causes of occupational injuries and illnesses.

10. Compensation in cases of occupational injuries and illnesses

The establishment of a system providing benefits and compensation to workers or their dependents in cases of occupational injuries, accidents or fatalities arising out of, linked with or occurring in the course of employment.

11. Protection of migrant workers

Providing migrant workers in a Party's territory with the same legal protection as the Party's nationals in respect of working conditions.

ANNEX 23 : INTERPRETIVE RULING

1. Where a Party has requested the Council to convene an ECE, the Council shall, on the written request of any other Party, select an independent expert to make a ruling concerning whether the matter is:

(a) trade-related; or

(b) covered by mutually recognized labor laws.

2. The Council shall establish rules of procedure for the selection of the expert and for submissions by the Parties. Unless the Council decides otherwise, the expert shall present a ruling within 15 days after the expert is selected. <

ANNEX 39 : MONETARY ENFORCEMENT ASSESSMENTS

1. For the first year after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, any monetary enforcement assessment shall be no greater than 20 million dollars (U.S.) or its equivalent in the currency of the Party complained against. Thereafter, any monetary enforcement assessment shall be no greater than .007 percent of total trade in goods between the Parties during the most recent year for which data are available.

2. In determining the amount of the assessment, the panel shall take into account:

(a) the pervasiveness and duration of the Party's persistent pattern of failure to effectively enforce its occupational safety and health, child labor or minimum wage technical labor standards;

(b) the level of enforcement that could reasonably be expected of a Party given its resource constraints;

(c) the reasons, if any, provided by the Party for not fully implementing an action plan;

(d) efforts made by the Party to begin remedying the pattern of non-enforcement after the final report of the panel; and

(e) any other relevant factors.

3. All monetary enforcement assessments shall be paid in the currency of the Party complained against into a fund established in the name of the Commission by the Council and shall be expended at the direction of the Council to improve or enhance the labor law enforcement in the Party complained against, consistent with its law.

ANNEX 41A: CANADIAN DOMESTIC ENFORCEMENT AND COLLECTION

1. For the purposes of this Annex, "panel determination" means:

(a) a determination by a panel under Article 39(4)(b) or 5(b) that provides that Canada shall pay a monetary enforcement assessment; and

(b) a determination by a panel under Article 39(5)(b) that provides that Canada shall fully implement an action plan where the panel:

(i) has previously established an action plan under Article 39(4)(a)(ii) or imposed a monetary enforcement assessment under Article 39(4)(b); or

(ii) has subsequently determined under Article 40 that Canada is not fully implementing an action plan.

2. Canada shall adopt and maintain procedures that provide that:

(a) subject to subparagraph (b), the Commission, at the request of a complaining Party, may in its own name file in a court of competent jurisdiction a certified copy of a panel determination;

(b) the Commission may file in court a panel determination that is a panel determination described in paragraph 1(a) only if Canada has failed to comply with the determination within 180 days of when the determination was made;

(c) when filed, the panel determination, for purposes of enforcement, shall become an order of the court;

(d) the Commission may take proceedings for enforcement of a panel determination that is made an order of the court, in that court, against the person against whom the panel determination is addressed in accordance with paragraph 6 of Annex 46;

(e) proceedings to enforce a panel determination that has been made an order of the court shall be conducted by way of summary proceedings;

(f) in proceedings to enforce a panel determination that is a panel determination described in paragraph 1(b) and that has been made an order of the court, the court shall promptly refer any question of fact or any question of interpretation of the panel determination to the panel that made the panel determination, and the decision of the panel shall be binding on the court;

(g) a panel determination that has been made an order of the court shall not be subject to domestic review or appeal; and

(h) an order made by the court in proceedings to enforce a panel determination that has been made an order of the court shall not be subject to review or appeal.

3. Where Canada is the Party complained against, the procedures adopted and maintained by Canada under this Annex shall apply and the procedures set out in Article 41 shall not apply.

4. Any change by Canada to the procedures adopted and maintained by Canada under this Annex that have the effect of undermining the provisions of this Annex shall be considered a breach of this Agreement.

ANNEX 41B: SUSPENSION OF BENEFITS

1. Where a complaining Party suspends NAFTA tariff benefits in accordance with this Agreement, the Party may increase the rates of duty on originating goods of the Party complained against to levels not to exceed the lesser of:

(a) the rate that was applicable to those goods immediately prior to the date of entry into force of the NAFTA, and

(b) the Most-Favored-Nation rate applicable to those goods on the date the Party suspends such benefits,

and such increase may be applied only for such time as is necessary to collect, through such increase, the monetary enforcement assessment.

2. In considering what tariff or other benefits to suspend pursuant to Article 41(1) or (2):

(a) a complaining Party shall first seek to suspend benefits in the same sector or sectors as that in respect of which there has been a persistent pattern of failure by the Party complained against to effectively enforce its occupational safety and health, child labor or minimum wage technical labor standards; and

(b) a complaining Party that considers it is not practicable or effective to suspend benefits in the same sector or sectors may suspend benefits in other sectors.

ANNEX 46: EXTENT OF OBLIGATIONS

1. On the date of signature of this Agreement, or of the exchange of written notifications under Article 51, Canada shall set out in a declaration a list of any provinces for which Canada is to be bound in respect of matters within their jurisdiction. The declaration shall be effective on delivery to the other Parties, and shall carry no implication as to the internal distribution of powers within Canada. Canada shall notify the other Parties six months in advance of any modification to its declaration.

2. Unless a communication relates to a matter that would be under federal jurisdiction if it were to arise within the territory of Canada, the Canadian NAO shall identify the province of residence or establishment of the author of any communication regarding the labor law of another Party that it forwards to the NAO of another Party. That NAO may choose not to respond if that province is not included in the declaration made under paragraph 1.

3. Canada may not request consultations under Article 22, the establishment of an Evaluation Committee of Experts under Article 23, consultations under Article 27, the initiation of procedures under Article 28 or the establishment of a panel or join as a complaining Party under Article 29 at the instance, or primarily for the benefit, of any government of a province not included in the declaration made under paragraph 1.

4. Canada may not request consultations under Article 22, the establishment of an Evaluation Committee of Experts under Article 23, consultations under Article 27, the initiation of procedures under Article 28 or the establishment of a panel or join as a complaining Party under Article 29, unless Canada states in writing that the matter would be under federal jurisdiction if it were to arise within the territory of Canada, or:

(a) Canada states in writing that the matter would be under provincial jurisdiction if it were to arise within the territory of Canada; and

(b) the federal government and the provinces included in the declaration account for at least 35 percent of Canada's labor force for the most recent year in which data are available, and

(c) where the matter concerns a specific industry or sector, at least 55 percent of the workers concerned are employed in provinces included in Canada's declaration under paragraph 1.

5. No other Party may request consultations under Article 22, the establishment of an Evaluation Committee of Experts under Article 23, consultations under Article 27, the initiation of procedures under Article 28 or the establishment of a panel or join as a complaining Party under Article 29, concerning a matter related to a labor law of a province unless that province is included in the declaration made under paragraph 1 and the requirements of subparagraphs 4(b) and (c) have been met.

6. Canada shall, no later than the date on which an arbitral panel is convened pursuant to Article 29 respecting a matter within the scope of paragraph 5 of this Annex, notify in writing the complaining Parties and the Secretariat of whether any monetary enforcement assessment or action plan imposed by a panel under Article 39(4) or (5) against Canada shall be addressed to Her Majesty in right of Canada or Her Majesty in right of the province concerned.

7. Canada shall use its best efforts to make the Agreement applicable to as many of its provinces as possible.

8. Two years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Council shall review the operation of this Annex and, in particular, shall consider whether the Parties should amend the thresholds established in paragraph 4.

ANNEX 49 : COUNTRY-SPECIFIC DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Agreement:

"territory" means:

(a) with respect to Canada, the territory to which its customs laws apply, including any areas beyond the territorial seas of Canada within which, in accordance with international law and its domestic law, Canada may exercise rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources;

(b) with respect to Mexico,

(i) the states of the Federation and the Federal District,

(ii) the islands, including the reefs and keys, in adjacent seas,

(iii) the islands of Guadalupe and Revillagigedo situated in the Pacific Ocean,

(iv) the continental shelf and the submarine shelf of such islands, keys and reefs,

(v) the waters of the territorial seas, in accordance with international law, and its interior maritime waters,

(vi) the space located above the national territory, in accordance with international law, and

(vii) any areas beyond the territorial seas of Mexico within which, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and its domestic law, Mexico may exercise rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources; and

(c) with respect to the United States,

(i) the customs territory of the United States, which includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,

(ii) the foreign trade zones located in the United States and Puerto Rico, and

(iii) any areas beyond the territorial seas of the United States within which, in accordance with international law and its domestic law, the United States may exercise rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources.

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