TPP aligns with U.S. values, protects human rights

It is a critical time for the United States. As the steward of the global economy: we have a unique opportunity to drive economic growth, while advancing human rights around the world. If passed, the Trans-Pacific Partnership will do both, but time is running out.

Beyond its potential to grow our economy, TPP will enable unprecedented protections for workers around the world. Both economically and morally, the trade pact is win-win.

{mosads}Across the globe, brutal and inhumane working conditions are all too common, but that is a harsh reality we can confront. Intel has worked diligently to improve labor practices in our supply chain. TPP prioritizes and guards workers’ rights more than any other trade agreement in history, potentially having a much broader impact than our efforts alone. In fact, according to the United States Trade Representative, TPP more than quadruples the number of people outside the United States who are protected by enforceable labor provisions. That represents a massive step forward for workers worldwide.

TPP members would be required to stop exploitative practices like child labor and forced labor. The deal will also improve dangerous working conditions for people who risk their lives every day just to earn a paycheck. Additionally, our trading partners would be required to establish workplace health and safety standards that are not currently in place in some participating countries. These are challenges we continue to work to address in our industry and welcome the additional progress that would be made possible with TPP. With tightened regulations, we can avoid tragedies like the fires in factories that kill thousands of workers each year, human trafficking practices that currently enslave over 21 million people around the world (Trafficking in Persons Report, 2016), and labor management practices that violate the most basic human rights of people in all corners of the globe.

Closer to our industry, a 2014 study commissioned by the US Department of Labor reported that 32 percent of workers in the Malaysian electronics manufacturing sector were in forced labor.  This is an issue impacting over 21 million people around the world (ILO, 2012), across many industries. The “Malaysia – United States Labor Consistency Plan,” which is a side agreement of the TPP between the US and Malaysian governments includes a number of legal reforms the Malaysian government would undertake to improve human rights of workers, including those who were a focus of this 2014 study. These changes give workers back a sense of freedom by ensuring passports are not kept from them. It also requires that employers pay government imposed employment levies, ensuring that the workers themselves do not have to shoulder the cost, which can amount to nearly two months of their wages each year.

There is also a “United States – Viet Nam Plan for the Enhancement of Trade and Labour Relations” with expectations to research and audit child and forced labor, establishing an effective confidential worker complaint mechanism and improving transparency and follow-up.

In regions of the world where labor standards are poor or non-existent, TPP offers additional protection. It empowers the individual worker, protecting the right to collective bargaining and asserting that unlivable wages and excessive hours can no longer be tolerated.

These are all issues that have plagued workers across the globe for far too long. Intel has been working for a decade to address these issues. We set clear expectations with our suppliers to meet high Environmental, Social and Governance standards through our Intel Human Rights Principles as well as the EICC (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition) Code of Conduct.  These cover labor, health and safety, environmental and ethics. But our influence is limited to our supply chain and industry.

With TPP, we can set a new standard and raise the bar for what is acceptable worldwide, across all industries.

This opportunity – to enhance human rights and improve the lives of workers – does not come with a steep price tag. It’s just the opposite. With TPP, we can boost our national economy. A study conducted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates TPP will increase annual exports by $357 billion and annual incomes by $131 billion by 2030.

The many benefits of TPP cannot be underestimated. Our economy will prosper, while at the same time, we will improve working conditions and safety standards for people around the world. This is a unique opportunity where, as a nation, our business priorities and values squarely align.

Jackie Sturm is vice president of Technology and Manufacturing Group and General Manager Global Supply Management at Intel

The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.