With the imminent signing of three FTAs by the US with Panama, Colombia and South Korea, there has been open conflict of interests of those in garment and textile sectors in the US, with the US retail and garment sector on the one side and the textile industries on the other. The US Congress has recently approved the FTAs but the arguments rage on as to whether this will give a much-needed boost to the ailing US economy - or simply kick it when it's down.

Broadly speaking, the dividing lines are drawn up depending on how international the industry's interests are. So retailers and the apparel and footwear sectors are broadly positive, encouraged at the prospect of increased trade opportunities in areas with huge growth potential like south-east Asia and Latin America. "This is a major step toward free and open trade and the creation of jobs for American workers," said National Retail Federation (NRF) President and CEO Matthew Shay.

"Limits on international trade have been allowed to hold back our nation's economy for far too long, and tearing down those barriers is one of the keys to economic recovery." Similarly, American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) president and CEO Kevin Burke claimed the passing of the FTAs "reaffirms our competitiveness in the global marketplace". He added: "The benefits these agreements have for more than 4m US apparel and footwear workers and our consumers are quite clear." By opening these three important markets to two-way permanent trade flows, we gain access to more than 100m new consumers while continuing to deliver quality and affordable product right here at home."

That's the case in favour, and the AAFA backs it up with figures. Since 2002, it says, US cotton exports to Colombia have more than quintupled, while yarn and fabric exports have doubled, creating a market worth about US$300m. Similarly, US apparel exports to Korea have also increased by five times over the past decade, making the country the fourth largest market for US-made finished apparel behind Canada, the UK and Japan.

Textile Industry Protests

Textile workers, however, are less than convinced. Nearly 27,000 worker petitions were delivered to Members of Congress in the run-up to the FTA vote, calling for the Korea FTA to be scrapped. The reason, said the National Council of Textile Organisations (NCTO), was the removal of "critical" enforcement measures, creating an "easy gateway" for low-priced Chinese goods to be illegally shipped through Korea and on to the US.

Furthermore, NCTO President Cass Johnson argued that the phase-out schedule provided Korean exporters with greater access to the US, while domestic textile companies would have to wait years for equal access in Korea. "We want to ensure that free trade agreements actually support increasing exports and increasing textile jobs in this country," said Johnson. "We will strongly support agreements that provide an equal playing field for the beneficiary country, but will strongly oppose those that don't."