Forced labour hearings scheduled by USTR

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has scheduled three days of public hearings next week on proposed action against 60 economies, including India, under Section 301 investigations into what it says is their failure to prohibit and effectively enforce bans on imports of goods produced with forced labour.

India's government and industry representatives are among those due to testify on July 8.

The hearings will be held from July 7 to July 9 will examine proposed responsive action following USTR's investigations into the acts, policies and practices of 60 economies related to what it describes as their failure to impose and effectively enforce prohibitions on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.

India will appear on the second day of the hearings, July 8.

The day's eighth panel will include Poornima Shenoy of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Shuchita Sonalika of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The following panel will feature Indian government representatives. Dr Brij Mohan of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Shubham Arora of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) are scheduled to testify. They will appear alongside representatives from Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Pakistan.

The three-day programme also includes testimony from foreign governments, US businesses, industry associations, labour organisations and advocacy groups. Participants are scheduled from countries including Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as representatives from a wide range of US industries.

The hearings follow a USTR report released on June 2 that concluded all 60 investigated economies had either failed to impose, or failed to effectively enforce, prohibitions on imports of goods produced with forced labour. The report found that the acts, policies and practices of the investigated economies were "unreasonable" and "burden or restrict US commerce", making them actionable under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

The report said Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan have legal prohibitions on forced labour imports but have failed to enforce them effectively. It said the remaining economies, including India, have failed both to impose and effectively enforce such prohibitions.

Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 authorises the US Trade Representative to investigate foreign acts, policies and practices that are considered unreasonable or discriminatory and that burden or restrict US commerce. If the investigations result in a final determination that action is appropriate, the law allows the United States to impose responsive measures, including tariffs or other trade restrictions, subject to presidential direction.