Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

ILAB Press Release: Labor Department to Hold Conference on International Treaties [12/01/1997]

For more information call: (202) 219-6373 ext. 4

The U.S. Department of Labor will hold a trinational conference on the relationship among international treaties, constitutional provisions and national labor laws in the NAFTA signatory countries -- U.S., Mexico and Canada. The conference, open to the public and the media, was agreed to in ministerial consultations between the U.S. and Mexico which resulted from a review of allegations that Mexican federal workers were denied freedom of association.

The ministerial consultations grew out of allegations submitted to the U.S. National Administrative Office (U.S. NAO). Each of the three NAFTA countries set up its own NAO to administer the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), known as the NAFTA labor side agreement. One of the responsibilities of the NAO is to review labor law matters in the other signatory countries. This particular review was prompted by a submission filed by Human Rights Watch/Americas, the International Labor Rights Fund and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers of Mexico.

The submitters in this case claimed that certain Mexican federal workers were denied freedom of association when a government reorganization created the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fishing. Upon review of the submission, the U.S. NAO found that important issues were raised concerning the relationship of freedom of association provisions in the Mexican constitution and its domestic laws and international treaties ratified by Mexico.

In its report on the review, the NAO supported its findings with decisions of the Mexican Supreme Court and reports by the International Labor Organization. The NAO recommended that ministerial consultations between the U.S. and Mexico be directed at clarifying the effects of international treaties, such as International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 87, Mexican constitutional provisions, and national labor laws, on the right of workers in Mexico.

Although not a party involved in the original submission, Canada agreed to participate in the consultations in order to broaden knowledge of the issue and to advance the spirit of trinational cooperation.

This public forum will be held December 4, 9:00 a.m. - 3:35 p.m., at the University of Maryland Law School, Westminster Hall, 519 W. Lafayette St., Baltimore, Md. Registration is free; interested persons should contact Jim Shea or Marie Ledan in the U.S. National Administrative Office on (202) 501-6653, fax (202) 501-6651, e-mail Jshea@dol.gov or Mledan@dol.gov. A copy of the agenda is attached.

Seminar on International Treaties and Constitutional Systems of the United States, Mexico and Canada December 4, 1997 University of Maryland School of Law Westminster Hall 519 West Fayette Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 AGENDA 9:00 a.m. - 9:20 a.m. Opening Remarks Andrew J. Samet Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Labor for International Labor Affairs 9:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Introduction of panelists and staff by NAO Secretaries U.S.: Irasema Garza Mexico: Rafael Aranda Vollmer Canada: May Morpaw 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. International Treaties and Constitutional Systems Presentation by the United States U.S. Panelists David P. Stewart Assistant Legal Adviser for Human Rights and Refugees, U.S. Department of State Benjamin Aaron Professor Emeritus, School of Law, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Hurst Hannum Professor, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 10:15 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. Recess 10:30 a.m.- 11:15 a.m. International Treaties and Constitutional Systems Presentation by Mexico Mexican Panelists Javier Moctezuma Barragn Sub Secretary "A" Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare of Mexico Dr. Manuel Gonzlez Oropeza National Autonomous University of Mexico Lic. Loretta Ortiz Ahlf Legal Director , National Council for Culture and the Arts 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. International Treaties and Constitutional Systems Presentation by Canada Canadian Panelists Ton Zuidwijk Senior Counsel, Trade Law Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Robert Howse Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Sophie Dufour Professor, Faculte de Droit, Universite de Sherbrooke 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Questions and Panel Discussion 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Questions and Comments from Public 3:30 p.m. - 3:35 p.m. Conference Closing Mexico: Rafael Aranda Vollmer Canada: May Morpaw United States: Irasema Garza

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.