U.S. Department of Labor will Award $4 Million Grant to Assist Workers in Colombian Export Sectors to Enforce Labor Rights

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its intent to award up to $4 million in grant funding to assist workers in priority sectors of Colombia in exercising their labor rights. Grant activities will focus on developing centers that educate workers on their rights, train them to identify potential labor law violations in workplaces, and assist workers to submit and track well-supported, well-articulated claims to initiate labor inspections and pursue legal remedies. 

The project will help the Government of Colombia enforce its labor laws and comply with the labor obligations of its free trade agreement with the United States.

The grant will be made available through the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, whose mission is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the United States and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. For more information about the Department's work on these issues, visit http://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab.