"The Czech Republic has repeatedly advocated that the best way the WTO and its Members may contribute to raising standards around the world in areas like environment and working conditions is to promote democracy and prosperity through open and free trade and through increased adherence to the existing rules and disciplines. This is certainly true for both environmental and core labour standards. The Czech Republic is committed to enhancing core labour standards worldwide and is opposed to abuses of fundamental human rights such as forced labour and exploitation of child labour."

The controversy about the role of the WTO is due to two fundamental differences in how to achieve the successful implementation of these core human rights for everyone in the world. The WTO and its supporters believe that by promoting democracy and prosperity through open and free trade, this can be accomplished. Meanwhile some member states believe that protectionist standards should be implemented to secure these fundamental rights. The WTO does believe in the protection of unemployment, and here lies part of the controversy. WTO believes that imposing labour standards would only cause a flow of capital and labour, thus the countries following strict labour standards such as a minimum wage would loose capital to other countries.

Mr. Vitor Rodrigues Pessoa, Secretary for Economic Coordination stated at the Ministerial Conference in Singapore "The Government of Macau believes it to be rather unrealistic at this time to impose abrupt changes in working conditions in manufacturing sectors of developing countries, without putting employment at risk."

A social clause may help to counter these capital flows because strong labour unions create a good market for domestic products, said Benedict" The problem lies that the WTO considers social clauses to be protectionist, and interfering with the natural flow of the economy.

The WTO or the ILO do not want to enforce a minimum wage, and does it is hard to secure that everyone receives equal pay for equal work, especially when one factors in personal prejudices, biases, favoritism, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Even in countries such as the United States there is still not always equal pay for equal work, especially between men and women. Thus it is hard to advocate change, when not even the member countries have reached the equality called for by the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Member goverments in the WTO who endorse labour standards ask for:

 The main problem is the elimination of certain types of child labour. The UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that children should not work, and elementary education should be compulsory, yet the WTO and the ILO both realize that some developing countries rely on their child labour. Therefore the immediate goal should not be to eliminate child labour, but rather to eliminate the conditions that make child labour necessary for these countries.