BOGOR, INDONESIA ¨C Labor activists worry that a U.S.-led free-trade deal under negotiation will prioritize corporate profits over workers¡¯ rights and pressure governments to bow to the will of investors.
Trade ministers from the 12 nations negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would stretch from Japan to Chile and cover 40 percent of the world¡¯s economy, failed to finalize a deal at talks last month on Maui, but were confident an agreement was within reach. Talks are expected to resume in the autumn.
Campaigners for workers¡¯ rights complain that they have been denied a voice in the trade talks, and have raised concerns about part of the deal that would allow corporations to sue governments for the potential loss of future profits.
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