Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Question
Dan Carden
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 181604 on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, whether trade unions have powers to raise formal challenges to alleged labour abuses under the Agreement’s dispute mechanism.
Answer
Nigel HuddlestonThe Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Labour Chapter is subject to the dispute resolution mechanism contained in Chapter 28 (Dispute Settlement). The dispute settlement mechanism concerns state-to-state dispute settlement, and so it does not permit non-government bodies, including trade unions, to raise a dispute under its provisions.
However, Chapter 28 and the Rules of Procedure for Dispute Settlement provide that non-governmental entities may submit views on a dispute brought under the Agreement. This is subject to the conditions set out in the CPTPP.