ORG/REL 19 September 2007

Transcription

1 ITUC INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION CSI CONFÉDÉRATION SYNDICALE INTERNATIONALE CSI CONFEDERACIÓN SINDICAL INTERNACIONAL IGB INTERNATIONALER GEWERKSCHAFTSBUND Bd du Roi Albert II 5, Bte 1, B 1210 Bruxelles Belgique Tel. +32 (0) Fax +32 (0) info@ituc-csi.org SHARAN BURROW PRESIDENT PRÉSIDENTE PRÄSIDENTIN PRESIDENTA GUY RYDER GENERAL SECRETARY SECRÉTAIRE GÉNÉRAL GENERALSEKRETÄR SECRETARIO GENERAL In reply please quote: Circular N 45(2007) To General Council Titular Members To Regional Organisations To ITUC Auditors To Global Union Federations & TUAC For information: To General Council Substitute Members ORG/REL 19 September rd Meeting of the ITUC General Council Washington, December 2007 Dear Friends, I have pleasure in cordially inviting the Titular Members of the ITUC General Council, the ITUC Auditors, and representatives of regional organisations, the Global Union Federations (GUFs) and TUAC to the 3 rd session of the ITUC General Council which will take place from Wednesday 12 December, commencing at p.m., to Friday 14 December The General Council meeting will be preceded by the Executive Bureau meeting, for which a separate invitation will be sent to the members concerned. At the kind invitation of our American affiliate AFL-CIO, both meetings will take place at the National Labor College (NLC), Washington D.C., USA. The draft agenda of the meeting will be sent to you shortly. Information about the meeting is given in the two notes also enclosed (practical information and travel visa accommodation). I look forward to receiving confirmation of your attendance before 20 October and remain, Yours sincerely, Encls. Practical information note Travel visa accommodation note General Secretary

2 3 rd MEETING OF THE ITUC GENERAL COUNCIL WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 2007 PRACTICAL INFORMATION MANDATE OF MEMBERS We draw your attention to Article XX(b) of the Constitution, Mandate of Members, which states that no person shall be entitled to serve on the General Council whose organisation, without valid reason approved by the General Council, is in arrears of four quarters or more with payment of affiliation fees, or who has ceased to be an accredited representative of the member organisation to which he or she belonged at the time of election. We would therefore kindly urge you to look into the position of your organisation in this regard prior to the above-mentioned meeting. ATTENDANCE The ITUC Constitution (Article XXII(b)) stipulates that if a member is unable to attend the meeting, the secretariat shall invite the first substitute. Should the first substitute be from the same organisation as the member, the latter shall invite the first substitute in his or her place. Should the first substitute also be prevented from attending, the same procedure shall be followed regarding the second substitute. Other substitute members may attend the meetings of the General Council without the right to speak or vote. In exceptional circumstances, if a titular member and his/her two elected substitutes are unable to attend a complete session, the General Council may authorise a personal substitute to attend on behalf of an elected member, but only if a written request for representation is made on behalf of all three members. Representatives of Global Union Federations and the TUAC may participate in accordance with the provisions of Articles VI(b) and VII of the Constitution. The President may authorise representatives of other affiliated organisations and other visitors to attend and may authorise technical advisers to be present at the sittings during the discussions on items of the agenda where their special advice may be required. In view of the above, we would kindly ask you to reply before 20 October After that date we will assume you cannot attend and an invitation will be addressed personally to your substitute to attend instead of you. VOTE Your attention is drawn to Article VII of the Standing Orders which specifies that, None other than titular members, or elected substitute members attending in place of an absent titular member, shall have the right to vote in the General Council. DOCUMENTATION The related documents will be sent to you in due course. They will also be placed in a password protected area of the ITUC website. After choosing your language on the ITUC home page, first click on the login (grey belt at the bottom of the home page) and enter the following Login: GCmember and Password: Vluc50 (please note that the password contains a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters for better security).

3 - 2 - If the login and the password are correct, you will see the message you have been logged in. Now go to the Members Section and click on General Council - Documents. Please note that this General Council member password will automatically give you access to all circulars letters (cfr. ITUC Circular 21(2007)). From now on, you should only use your General Council member password to access our protected website areas. If you have any problems in accessing the ITUC website, please do not hesitate to contact our web manager. EXPENSES It is understood that General Council members who have the necessary means should cover their own meeting-related expenses and we would urge all members to make every effort to comply with that approach. However, in cases where that is not possible, only authorised members (a titular member or, where appropriate, a substitute member invited to attend instead of a titular member) is entitled to seek financial assistance based on the table below. The General Council (Brussels, June 2007) approved the following table: Band in affiliation fees Financial assistance Ticket Hotel Per diem Other costs (transit costs, visa, taxes, taxis) Band Band 2 X Band 3 X X - - Band 4 X X X - Band 5 X X X X A written assistance request should be made to the ITUC specifying what kind of assistance is required travel, hotel and/or local expenses. The ITUC will then make any necessary hotel booking and order any air ticket that is required and forward it to the member/s concerned. The cost of a ticket bought by the ITUC, at the lowest available cost, will be the only accepted basis for reimbursements for tickets purchased directly. If you wish to make your own arrangements, please contact our Conference Service beforehand. If you then decide to do so, please bring the original invoice for your ticket with you, so that the ITUC can reimburse you. In all cases where financial assistance is requested, please note that the ITUC will need the boarding passes as well as all original vouchers (taxi, visa, etc.). Financial assistance can only be granted to titular members who are not accompanied by an assistant, observer or a substitute from the same organisation. Please note also that a travel and accident insurance is automatically provided by the ITUC. The ITUC can send you a certificate if you need one for visa purposes. Other insurance policies will not be reimbursed.

4 3 rd MEETING OF THE ITUC GENERAL COUNCIL WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 2007 TRAVEL VISA - ACCOMMODATION VENUE Kirkland Center National Labor College George Meany Campus 10,000 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, Maryland 20903, USA Phone: (301) Fax: (301) Toll Free: The George Meany Campus is located on the northern outskirts of Washington, D.C., in Silver Spring, Maryland. PASSPORT & VISAS Please check on for the latest information on visa policy and procedures. PASSPORTS Passports of alien non-immigrant passengers must be valid 6 months from the date of intended departure from the United States, however the requirement is waived for many nationalities. For further information, please visit the Embassy s website at If travelling under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program with a passport valid for less than 90 days, the holder will be admitted into the United States only until the date on which the passport expires, except citizens of Andorra, Brunei Darussalam & San Marino who must be in possession of passports valid for at least 6 months from the date on which they depart the US, regardless of their proposed length of stay. All travellers (including children) wishing to enter under the Visa Waiver Program will require an individual machine-readable passport, and passports issued on or after 26/10/2005 must contain a digital photograph of the holder. Passports issued (or extended) ON or AFTER 26/10/05 but PRIOR to 26/10/06 must contain a digital photograph or integrated chip with information from the data page, otherwise passengers require a visa to enter the United States. Passports issued (or extended) ON or AFTER 26/10/06 must contain an integrated circuit chip, otherwise passengers require a visa to enter the United States.

5 - 2 - VISAS The following DO NOT require a visa: 1) Nationals of the United States 2) Citizens of Bermuda, provided passports are endorsed Holder Possesses Bermuda Status, or a separate certificate of Bermuda status, if the bearer does not possess Bermudian status they must have a landing permit, re-entry permit or residential certificate/card for entry 3) Citizens of Canada, travelling on a valid Canadian passport 4) Nationals of Mexico, travelling on a valid Mexican passport & holding a United States B-1/B-2 Visa & Border Crossing Cards, Form DSP-150 5) For stays up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program by: a) Citizens of the United Kingdom (passports indicating that the bearer is a British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen, British Protected Person or holders of passports which states holder has Right of Abode or indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom do not qualify for visa free travel) b) Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland Rep, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland 6) Travellers under the Visa Waiver Program must also meet all of the following requirements: a) the traveller must be a citizen of one of the countries named above, travelling on a valid, individual machine-readable passport b) travelling for business, pleasure or transit stays for 90 days or less c) if entering by air or sea is holding a return or onward ticket. If travelling on an electronic ticket, a copy of the itinerary must be carried for presentation to Immigration at port of entry. Travellers with onward tickets terminating in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean islands must be legal permanent residents of these areas d) be entering aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the Visa Waiver Program e) be in possession of a completed form I-94W, obtainable from airline & shipping companies f) or, if entering by land from Canada or Mexico be in possession of a completed form I-94W, issued by the immigration authorities at the port of entry plus a USD 6 fee, payable in USD only. INSURANCE The ITUC has taken out a travel and accident insurance for titular members to attend the governing bodies meetings. If you need an insurance certificate to obtain your visa, please let us know well in advance. CUSTOMS Import allowances - Non-residents: a) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2kg of tobacco or a combination of proportionate parts b) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 1 lit of alcoholic beverage c) Including accompanied or unaccompanied minors; gifts not exceeding USD 100 in value, provided that the stay in the United States is not less than 72 hours and that the gift exemption has not been claimed in the previous 6 months. Prohibited/restricted Fresh or dried meat products (canned meat permitted if cooked in can and can be stored without refrigeration), poultry meat, narcotics, marijuana, dangerous drugs, plants, some seeds, fresh vegetables & fruits, soil, live insects, snails, and other living plant or animal pests. Matches and match-books in luggage unless tightly packed in a closed container. Eggs and dairy products, except fully-cured cheese. HEALTH There are currently no inoculations required for entering the United States.

6 - 3 - AIRPORTS There are three major airports serving the metropolitan area: Reagan National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). Various types of transportation are available to you from each airport. The following limousine services are union-approved; please ask them for their current prices. Amalgamated Limousine, Inc.: Limousines For You: United Transportation, Inc.: Super Shuttle is also available on a 24-hour basis at each airport and is located near the baggage claim area. Should you wish to contact them, their phone number is BlueVan. ACCOMMODATION A block booking has been made for 165 rooms in the main residential halls of the campus (3 to 4 star hotel quality) at the rate of USD 180 (meals included). Through the National Labor College 50 rooms have also been booked at the Sheraton College Park Hotel at the rate of USD 180 (meals at the college included). Participants staying at the Sheraton College Park Hotel will have to pay for the hotel booking at the Labor College, but would also have to present a credit card for incidentals at the Hotel. Sheraton College Park Hotel 4095 Powder Mill Road Beltsville, Maryland Phone (301) Fax (301)

7 - 4 - CURRENCY US Dollar (USD 1 = 100 Cents) Notes: USD: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, Coins: Cents: 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 CLIMATE In winter the city is subject to heavy snowfall, and sudden arctic blasts or frozen rainstorms. The average temperature for December is from -3 C to +7 C. Clothing: warm topcoat for winter. TIME DIFFERENCE From 04 November 2007 to 09 March 2008 GMT -5 ELECTRICITY 110/120V AC 60Hz. The plug has two flat parallel blades and a round ground or earthing pin. PHONES International direct dialing code: 1 Cellular: GSM cell phones use frequencies within the different frequency bands. 850 MHz ( MHz Tx; MHz Rx) 1900 MHz ( MHz Tx; MHz Rx)