|
Subscribe to E-mail Updates
|
|
Print This Page 
Text Size
E-mail This Page
2008 In Focus Archive: December 3-4, 2008
U.S., Mexican, and Canadian Officials Meet to Discuss Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining Rights under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation
PUEBLA, Mexico, December 3-4 —Officials from the United States, Mexico, and Canada held two days of meetings under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). Events included a government-to-government exchange and a stakeholder seminar, addressing the NAALC principles of freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively.
The Puebla meetings were a key component of the activities called for under the Ministerial Consultations Joint Declaration signed by Secretary Elaine L. Chao and her North American counterparts in Ottawa on April 24, 2008. The Joint Declaration reaffirmed the Parties’ commitment to the NAALC and sought to resolve the issues raised in Public Communications U.S. 2003-01 and CAN 2003-1 through information sharing on relevant labor law, exchanges of best practices, and outreach activities.
Charlotte M. Ponticelli, Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs, led the U.S. delegation, which was comprised of officials from the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of State. Presenters and discussants addressed best practices in the processing of workers’ complaints of unjustified dismissals, transparent procedures for the registration of unions, and access to collective bargaining agreements in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The information shared in the government session and the stakeholder seminar will be incorporated into labor law guide and other informational materials to be published by the Secretariat of the NAALC Commission for Labor Cooperation (www.naalc.org).
 |
