[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2266-2267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-953]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of International Labor Affairs; U.S. National
Administrative Office; North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation;
Hearing on Submission #9702
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Labor.
ACTION: Notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce a hearing, open to
the public, on Submission #9702.
Submission #9702, filed with the U.S. National Administrative
Office (NAO) by the Support Committee for Maquiladora Workers (SCMW),
the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF), and the Union of Metal,
Steel, Iron, and Allied Workers Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la
Industria Metalica, Acero, Hierro, Conexos y Similares--STIMAHCS) of
Mexico raises issues of freedom of association involving workers at an
export processing (maquiladora) plant. The submission was accepted for
review by the NAO on November 17, 1997 and a Notice of acceptance for
review was published in the Federal Register on November 20, 1997.
Article 16 (3) of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation
(NAALC) provides for the review of labor law matters in Canada and
Mexico by the NAO in accordance with U.S. domestic procedures. Revised
procedural guidelines pertaining to the submission, review, and
reporting process utilized by the Office were published in the Federal
Register on April 7, 1994 (59 FR 16660). The guidelines provide for a
discretionary hearing as part of the review.
DATES: The hearing will be held on February 18, 1998, commencing at
9:00 a.m. Persons desiring to present oral testimony at the hearing
must submit a request in writing, along with a written statement or
brief describing the information to be presented or position to be
taken.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held in San Diego, California at a
location to be announced. Written statements or briefs and requests to
present oral testimony may be mailed or hand delivered to the
[[Page 2267]]
U.S. National Administrative Office (NAO), Department of Labor, 200
Constitutional Avenue, N.W., Room C-4327, Washington, D.C. 20210.
Requests to present oral testimony and written statements or briefs
must be received by the NAO no later than close of business, February
4, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irasema T. Garza, Secretary, U.S.
National Administrative Office, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, N.W., Room C-4327, Washington, D.C. 20210. Telephone: (202)
501-6653 (this is not a toll free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Nature and Conduct of Hearing
As set out in the notice published in the Federal Register on
November 20, 1997, the objective of the NAO's review of the submission
is to gather information to better understand and publicly report on
the Government of Mexico's promotion of, compliance with, and effective
enforcement of, its labor law through appropriate government action, as
set out in Article 3(1) of the NAALC, and on the steps the Government
of Mexico has taken to ensure access to tribunals for the enforcement
of labor law and recourse to procedures under which labor rights are
protected in accordance with Articles 4 and 5 of the NAALC.
The hearing will be conducted by the Secretary of the NAO or the
Secretary's designee. It will be open to the public. All proceedings
will be conducted in English, with simultaneous translation in English
and Spanish provided. The public files for the submission, including
written statements, briefs, and requests to present oral testimony,
will be made a part of the appropriate hearing record. The public files
will also be available for inspection at the NAO prior to the hearing.
The hearing will be transcribed. A transcript of the proceeding
will be made available for inspection, as provided for in Section E of
the procedural guidelines, or may be purchased from the reporting
company.
Persons with disabilities should contact the Secretary of the NAO
no later than February 12, 1998 if special accommodations are needed.
II. Written Statements or Brief and Requests to Present Oral
Testimony
Written statements or briefs shall provide a description of the
information to be presented or position taken and shall be legibly
typed or printed. Requests to present oral testimony shall include the
name, address, and telephone number of the witness, the organization
represented, if any, and any other information pertinent to the
request. Five copies of a statement or brief and a single copy of a
request to present oral testimony shall be submitted to the NAO at the
time of filing.
No request to present oral testimony will be considered unless
accompanied by a written statement or brief. A request to present oral
testimony may be denied if the written statement or brief suggests that
the information sought to be provided is unrelated to the review of the
submission or for other appropriate reasons. The NAO will notify each
requester of the disposition of the request to present oral testimony.
In presenting testimony, the witness should summarize the written
statement or brief, may supplement the written statement or brief, with
relevant information, and should be prepared to answer questions from
the Secretary of the NAO or the Secretary's designee. Oral testimony
will ordinarily be limited to a ten minute presentation, not including
the time for questions. Persons desiring more than ten minutes for
their presentation should so state in the request, setting out reasons
why additional time is necessary.
The requirements relating to the submission of written statements
or briefs and requests to present oral testimony may be waived by the
Secretary of the NAO for reasons of equity and public interest.
Signed at Washington, DC on January 8, 1998.
Irasema T. Garza,
Secretary, U.S. National Administrative Office.
[FR Doc. 98-953 Filed 1-13-98; 8:45 am]
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