A report released form the Human Rights Watch said that the government of El Salvador is ignoring, and in some cases aiding, labor abuses. In the report, employers were accused of failing to pay overtime and mandatory bonuses, as well as preventing workers from receiving free public health care by keeping their social security contributions. Workers right to organize and join unions was also often not recognized. These allegations come in the middle of negotiations to resume a free-trade agreement between the United States and Central America (CAFTA), and the Human Rights Watch is calling on officials to consider workers? rights. Those at the Human Rights Watch would like to see CAFTA enact international labor standards.
See "Human Rights Watch Criticizes El Salvador", The New York Times, December 3, 2003