[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 201 (Friday, October 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54128-54129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27592]
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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 #9701
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 #9701.
Submission #9701, filed with the U.S. National Administrative
Office (NAO) by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International Labor
Rights Fund (ILRF), and the National Association of Democratic Lawyers
(ANAD) of Mexico, involves labor law matters in Mexico and was accepted
for review by the NAO on July 14, 1997. Notice of acceptance for review
was published in the Federal Register on July 17, 1997 (62 FR 38327).
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 F.R. 16660). The guidelines provide for a
discretionary hearing as part of the review.
DATES: The hearing will be held on November 19, 1997, 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 Brownsville, Texas, at the
Brownsville Public Library located at 2600 Central Boulevard,
Brownsville, Texas 78520, Main Meeting Room, Room #102. Written
statements or briefs and requests to present oral testimony may be
mailed or hand delivered to the U.S. National Administrative Office
(NAO), Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 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, November 5, 1997.
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 July
17, 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(1) and 4(2) 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.
Disabled persons should contact the Secretary of the NAO no later
than November 5, 1997, if special accommodations are needed.
II. Written Statements or Briefs 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.
[[Page 54129]]
Signed at Washington, D.C. on October 14, 1997.
Irasema T. Garza,
Secretary, U.S. National Administrative Office.
[FR Doc. 97-27592 Filed 10-16-97; 8:45 am]
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