The World Trade Organization and import bans in response to violations of fundamental labour rights

Trade and labour are connected in many ways. One aspect of their relationship revolves around the question whether products that are made in violation of labour rights, should be banned from the markets of importing States. In the negotiation process which led to the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO), this issue proved to be highly contentious. Since then, not much has changed on the political level. Yet, States habe been known to raise import bans in response to human rights violations in exporting States. Under what conditions does general international law entitle States to take contermeasures agianst a State where labour violations take place? What would happen if the WTO sidpute settlement mechanism is at some point confronted with a claim that one of the WTO Members has ciolated its WTO obligations because it has adopted an import ban in response to labour rights violations that occur in the exporting State? ... (Quelle: Text Verlagseinband / Verlag)