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The Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement's (A-UKFTA) Labour Chapter is our most comprehensive to date. It builds on the ground-breaking outcomes in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Key Outcomes
The A-UKFTA contains provisions to promote compliance with internationally recognised labour rights and enhance cooperation and consultation between Australia and the UK on labour issues.
The Labour Chapter recognises each country's right to regulate and to strive to ensure that its labour laws and policies provide appropriate levels of labour protection. It affirms Australia and the UK's obligations as members of the International Labour Organization.
Building on internationally recognised labour rights, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, elimination of compulsory labour, abolition of child labour, and elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, the Chapter requires both countries to have laws in place that govern acceptable conditions of work relating to minimum wages, hours of work and occupational health and safety.
The Chapter recognises that it is inappropriate to encourage trade or investment by weakening the protections of labour laws or their enforcement. Accordingly, it prohibits weakening the protections afforded to workers under labour laws or failing to enforce them in a manner affecting trade and investment.
The Chapter sets out that both countries will strive to ensure private and public sector entities take appropriate steps to address modern slavery in their supply chains. It also acknowledges the importance of gender equality and non-discrimination in employment.
The A-UKFTA promotes cooperation between Australia and the UK on labour issues, including on the promotion of equality of opportunity in employment and improving women's access to decent work. The Committee on Cooperation will support cooperation activities under this Chapter.