Bureau of International Labor Affairs; Request for Information Concerning Labor Rights in the United Arab Emirates and Its Laws Governing Exploitative Child Labor, 2658-2659 [05-804]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
2658
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2005 / Notices
International Labor Affairs, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210,
telephone (202) 693–4883, facsimile
(202) 693–4851.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On November 15, 2004, in accordance
with section 2104(a)(1) of the Trade Act
of 2002, the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) notified the
Congress of the President’s intent to
enter into free trade negotiations with
Oman. The notification letters to the
Senate and the House of Representatives
can be found on the USTR Web site at
https://www.ustr.gov/assets/
Document_Library/Letters_to_Congress/
2004/asset_upload_file22_6743.pdf and
https://www.ustr.gov/assets/
Document_Library/Letters_to_Congress/
2004/asset_upload_file752_6742.pdf,
respectively. In December, USTR
announced its intention to hold a public
hearing on January 14, 2005, for the
interagency Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) to receive written
comments and oral testimony from the
public to assist USTR in formulating
positions and proposals with respect to
all aspects of the negotiations (69 FR
70498) (Dec. 6, 2004). USTR intends to
launch the negotiations in March 2005.
The Trade Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107–
210) (the Trade Act) sets forth special
procedures (Trade Promotion Authority)
for approval and implementation of
Agreements subject to meeting
conditions and requirements in Division
B of the Trade Act, ‘‘Bipartisan Trade
Promotion Authority.’’ Section 2102(a)–
(c) of the Trade Act includes negotiating
objectives and a listing of priorities for
the President to promote in order to
‘‘address and maintain United States
competitiveness in the global economy’’
in pursuing future trade agreements.
The President assigned several of the
functions in section 2102(c) to the
Secretary of Labor. (E.O. 13277). These
include the functions set forth in section
2102(c)(8), which requires that the
President ‘‘in connection with any trade
negotiations entered into under this Act,
submit to the Committee on Ways and
Means of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Finance of the
Senate a meaningful labor rights report
of the country, or countries, with
respect to which the President is
negotiating,’’ and the function in section
2102(c)(9), which requires that the
President ‘‘with respect to any trade
agreement which the President seeks to
implement under trade authorities
procedures, submit to the Congress a
report describing the extent to which
VerDate jul<14>2003
14:36 Jan 13, 2005
Jkt 205001
the country or countries that are parties
to the agreement have in effect laws
governing exploitative child labor.’’
II. Information Sought
Interested parties are invited to
submit written information as specified
below to be taken into account in
drafting the required reports. Materials
submitted should be confined to the
specific topics of the reports. In
particular, agencies are seeking written
submissions on the following topics:
1. Labor laws of Oman, including
laws governing exploitative child labor,
and that country’s implementation and
enforcement of its labor laws and
regulations;
2. The situation in Oman with respect
to core labor standards;
3. Steps taken by Oman to comply
with International Labor Organization
Convention No. 182 on the worst forms
of child labor; and
4. The nature and extent, if any, of
exploitative child labor in Oman.
Section 2113(6) of the Trade Act
defines ‘‘core labor standards’’ as:
(A) The right of association;
(B) The right to organize and bargain
collectively;
(C) A prohibition on the use of any
form of forced or compulsory labor;
(D) A minimum age for the
employment of children; and
(E) Acceptable conditions of work
with respect to minimum wages, hours
of work, and occupational safety and
health.
III. Requirements for Submissions
This document is a request for facts or
opinions submitted in response to a
general solicitation of comments from
the public. To ensure prompt and full
consideration of submissions, we
strongly recommend that interested
persons submit comments by electronic
mail to the following e-mail address:
FRFTAOman@dol.gov. Persons making
submissions by e-mail should use the
following subject line: ‘‘Oman: Labor
Rights and Child Labor Reports.’’
Documents should be submitted in
WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT)
format. Supporting documentation
submitted as spreadsheets is acceptable
in Quattro Pro or Excel format. Persons
who make submissions by e-mail should
not provide separate cover letters;
information that might appear in a cover
letter should be included in the
submission itself. Similarly, to the
extent possible, any attachments to the
submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and
not as separate files. Written comments
will be placed in a file open to public
inspection at the Department of Labor,
PO 00000
Frm 00058
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Room S–5317, 200 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20210, and in the
USTR Reading Room in Room 3 of the
annex of the Office of the USTR, 1724
F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508.
An appointment to review the file at the
Department of Labor may be made by
contacting Betsy White at (202) 693–
4919. An appointment to review the file
at USTR may be made by calling (202)
395–6186. The USTR Reading Room is
generally open to the public from 10
a.m.–12 noon and 1–4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Appointments must be
scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th of
January 2005.
Arnold Levine,
Deputy Under Secretary for International
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05–810 Filed 1–13–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–28–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of International Labor Affairs;
Request for Information Concerning
Labor Rights in the United Arab
Emirates and Its Laws Governing
Exploitative Child Labor
Office of the Secretary, Labor;
Office of the United States Trade
Representative and Department of State.
AGENCIES:
ACTION:
Request for comments from the
public.
SUMMARY: This notice is a request for
comments from the public to assist the
Secretary of Labor, the United States
Trade Representative, and the Secretary
of State in preparing reports regarding
labor rights in the United Arab Emirates
and describing the extent to which it
has in effect laws governing exploitative
child labor. The Trade Act of 2002
requires reports on these issues and
others when the President intends to
use trade promotion authority
procedures in connection with
legislation approving and implementing
a trade agreement. The President
assigned the functions of preparing
reports regarding labor rights and the
existence of laws governing exploitative
child labor to the Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of State
and the United States Trade
Representative. The Secretary of Labor
further assigned these functions to the
Secretary of State and the United States
Trade Representative, to be carried out
by the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary
of State and the United States Trade
Representative.
E:\FR\FM\14JAN1.SGM
14JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2005 / Notices
Public comments should be
received no later than 5 p.m. February
28, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Persons submitting
comments are strongly advised to make
such submissions by electronic mail to
the following address:
FRFTAUAE@dol.gov. Submissions by
facsimile may be sent to: Betsy White,
Office of International Economic Affairs,
Bureau of International Labor Affairs,
U.S. Department of Labor, at (202) 693–
4851.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
procedural questions regarding the
submissions, please contact Betsy
White, Office of International Economic
Affairs, Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, at
(202) 693–4919, facsimile (202) 693–
4851. These are not toll-free numbers.
Substantive questions concerning the
labor rights report and/or the report on
the United Arab Emirates’ laws
governing exploitative child labor
should be addressed to Jorge PerezLopez, Office of International Economic
Affairs, Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,
DC 20210, telephone (202) 693–4883,
facsimile (202) 693–4851.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
I. Background
On November 15, 2004, in accordance
with section 2104(a)(1) of the Trade Act
of 2002, the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) notified the
Congress of the President’s intent to
enter into free trade negotiations with
the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The
notification letters to the Senate and the
House of Representatives can be found
on the USTR Web site at https://
www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/
Letters_to_Congress/2004/
asset_upload_file848_6741.pdf and
https://www.ustr.gov/assets/
Document_Library/Letters_to_Congress/
2004/asset_upload_file847_6740.pdf,
respectively. In December, USTR
announced its intention to hold a public
hearing on January 12, 2005, for the
interagency Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) to receive written
comments and oral testimony from the
public to assist USTR in formulating
positions and proposals with respect to
all aspects of the negotiations (69 FR
70500) (Dec. 6, 2004). USTR intends to
launch the negotiations in March 2005.
The Trade Act of 2002 (Pub.L. 107–
210) (the Trade Act) sets forth special
procedures (Trade Promotion Authority)
for approval and implementation of
Agreements subject to meeting
conditions and requirements in Division
VerDate jul<14>2003
14:52 Jan 13, 2005
Jkt 205001
B of the Trade Act, ‘‘Bipartisan Trade
Promotion Authority.’’ Section 2102(a)–
(c) of the Trade Act includes negotiating
objectives and a listing of priorities for
the President to promote in order to
‘‘address and maintain United States
competitiveness in the global economy’’
in pursuing future trade agreements.
The President assigned several of the
functions in section 2102(c) to the
Secretary of Labor. (E.O. 13277). These
include the functions set forth in section
2102(c)(8), which requires that the
President ‘‘in connection with any trade
negotiations entered into under this Act,
submit to the Committee on Ways and
Means of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Finance of the
Senate a meaningful labor rights report
of the country, or countries, with
respect to which the President is
negotiating,’’ and the function in section
2102(c)(9), which requires that the
President ‘‘with respect to any trade
agreement which the President seeks to
implement under trade authorities
procedures, submit to the Congress a
report describing the extent to which
the country or countries that are parties
to the agreement have in effect laws
governing exploitative child labor.’’
II. Information Sought
Interested parties are invited to
submit written information as specified
below to be taken into account in
drafting the required reports. Materials
submitted should be confined to the
specific topics of the reports. In
particular, agencies are seeking written
submissions on the following topics:
1. Labor laws of the UAE, including
laws governing exploitative child labor,
and that country’s implementation and
enforcement of its labor laws and
regulations;
2. The situation in the UAE with
respect to core labor standards;
3. Steps taken by the UAE to comply
with International Labor Organization
Convention No. 182 on the worst forms
of child labor; and
4. The nature and extent, if any, of
exploitative child labor in the UAE.
Section 2113(6) of the Trade Act
defines ‘‘core labor standards’’ as:
(A) The right of association;
(B) The right to organize and bargain
collectively;
(C) A prohibition on the use of any
form of forced or compulsory labor;
(D) A minimum age for the
employment of children; and
(E) Acceptable conditions of work
with respect to minimum wages, hours
of work, and occupational safety and
health.
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2659
III. Requirements for Submissions
This document is a request for facts or
opinions submitted in response to a
general solicitation of comments from
the public. To ensure prompt and full
consideration of submissions, we
strongly recommend that interested
persons submit comments by electronic
mail to the following e-mail address:
FRFTAUAE@dol.gov. Persons making
submissions by e-mail should use the
following subject line: ‘‘UAE: Labor
Rights and Child Labor Reports.’’
Documents should be submitted in
WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT)
format. Supporting documentation
submitted as spreadsheets is acceptable
in Quattro Pro or Excel format. Persons
who make submissions by e-mail should
not provide separate cover letters;
information that might appear in a cover
letter should be included in the
submission itself. Similarly, to the
extent possible, any attachments to the
submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and
not as separate files. Written comments
will be placed in a file open to public
inspection at the Department of Labor,
Room S–5317, 200 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20210, and in the
USTR Reading Room in Room 3 of the
annex of the Office of the USTR, 1724
F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508.
An appointment to review the file at the
Department of Labor may be made by
contacting Betsy White at (202) 693–
4919. An appointment to review the file
at USTR may be made by calling (202)
395–6186. The USTR Reading Room is
generally open to the public from 10
a.m.–12 noon and 1–4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Appointments must be
scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th of
January 2005.
Arnold Levine,
Deputy Under Secretary for International
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05–804 Filed 1–13–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–28–P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment Standards
Administration; Wage and Hour
Division
Minimum Wages for Federal and
Federally Assisted Construction;
General Wage Determination Decisions
General wage determination decisions
of the Secretary of Labor are issued in
accordance with applicable law and are
based on the information obtained by
the Department of Labor from its study
E:\FR\FM\14JAN1.SGM
14JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2658-2659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-804]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of International Labor Affairs; Request for Information
Concerning Labor Rights in the United Arab Emirates and Its Laws
Governing Exploitative Child Labor
AGENCIES: Office of the Secretary, Labor; Office of the United States
Trade Representative and Department of State.
ACTION: Request for comments from the public.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is a request for comments from the public to
assist the Secretary of Labor, the United States Trade Representative,
and the Secretary of State in preparing reports regarding labor rights
in the United Arab Emirates and describing the extent to which it has
in effect laws governing exploitative child labor. The Trade Act of
2002 requires reports on these issues and others when the President
intends to use trade promotion authority procedures in connection with
legislation approving and implementing a trade agreement. The President
assigned the functions of preparing reports regarding labor rights and
the existence of laws governing exploitative child labor to the
Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the
United States Trade Representative. The Secretary of Labor further
assigned these functions to the Secretary of State and the United
States Trade Representative, to be carried out by the Secretary of
Labor, the Secretary of State and the United States Trade
Representative.
[[Page 2659]]
DATES: Public comments should be received no later than 5 p.m. February
28, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Persons submitting comments are strongly advised to make
such submissions by electronic mail to the following address:
FRFTAUAE@dol.gov. Submissions by facsimile may be sent to: Betsy White,
Office of International Economic Affairs, Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, at (202) 693-4851.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions regarding the
submissions, please contact Betsy White, Office of International
Economic Affairs, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S.
Department of Labor, at (202) 693-4919, facsimile (202) 693-4851. These
are not toll-free numbers. Substantive questions concerning the labor
rights report and/or the report on the United Arab Emirates' laws
governing exploitative child labor should be addressed to Jorge Perez-
Lopez, Office of International Economic Affairs, Bureau of
International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 693-4883, facsimile
(202) 693-4851.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On November 15, 2004, in accordance with section 2104(a)(1) of the
Trade Act of 2002, the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
notified the Congress of the President's intent to enter into free
trade negotiations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The
notification letters to the Senate and the House of Representatives can
be found on the USTR Web site at https://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_
Library/Letters_to_Congress/2004/asset_upload_file848_6741.pdf and
https://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Letters_to_Congress/
2004/asset_upload_file847_6740.pdf, respectively. In December, USTR
announced its intention to hold a public hearing on January 12, 2005,
for the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) to receive
written comments and oral testimony from the public to assist USTR in
formulating positions and proposals with respect to all aspects of the
negotiations (69 FR 70500) (Dec. 6, 2004). USTR intends to launch the
negotiations in March 2005.
The Trade Act of 2002 (Pub.L. 107-210) (the Trade Act) sets forth
special procedures (Trade Promotion Authority) for approval and
implementation of Agreements subject to meeting conditions and
requirements in Division B of the Trade Act, ``Bipartisan Trade
Promotion Authority.'' Section 2102(a)-(c) of the Trade Act includes
negotiating objectives and a listing of priorities for the President to
promote in order to ``address and maintain United States
competitiveness in the global economy'' in pursuing future trade
agreements. The President assigned several of the functions in section
2102(c) to the Secretary of Labor. (E.O. 13277). These include the
functions set forth in section 2102(c)(8), which requires that the
President ``in connection with any trade negotiations entered into
under this Act, submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a
meaningful labor rights report of the country, or countries, with
respect to which the President is negotiating,'' and the function in
section 2102(c)(9), which requires that the President ``with respect to
any trade agreement which the President seeks to implement under trade
authorities procedures, submit to the Congress a report describing the
extent to which the country or countries that are parties to the
agreement have in effect laws governing exploitative child labor.''
II. Information Sought
Interested parties are invited to submit written information as
specified below to be taken into account in drafting the required
reports. Materials submitted should be confined to the specific topics
of the reports. In particular, agencies are seeking written submissions
on the following topics:
1. Labor laws of the UAE, including laws governing exploitative
child labor, and that country's implementation and enforcement of its
labor laws and regulations;
2. The situation in the UAE with respect to core labor standards;
3. Steps taken by the UAE to comply with International Labor
Organization Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor; and
4. The nature and extent, if any, of exploitative child labor in
the UAE.
Section 2113(6) of the Trade Act defines ``core labor standards''
as:
(A) The right of association;
(B) The right to organize and bargain collectively;
(C) A prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory
labor;
(D) A minimum age for the employment of children; and
(E) Acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages,
hours of work, and occupational safety and health.
III. Requirements for Submissions
This document is a request for facts or opinions submitted in
response to a general solicitation of comments from the public. To
ensure prompt and full consideration of submissions, we strongly
recommend that interested persons submit comments by electronic mail to
the following e-mail address: FRFTAUAE@dol.gov. Persons making
submissions by e-mail should use the following subject line: ``UAE:
Labor Rights and Child Labor Reports.'' Documents should be submitted
in WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) format. Supporting documentation
submitted as spreadsheets is acceptable in Quattro Pro or Excel format.
Persons who make submissions by e-mail should not provide separate
cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should
be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to the extent
possible, any attachments to the submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files. Written
comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection at the
Department of Labor, Room S-5317, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210, and in the USTR Reading Room in Room 3 of the
annex of the Office of the USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC
20508. An appointment to review the file at the Department of Labor may
be made by contacting Betsy White at (202) 693-4919. An appointment to
review the file at USTR may be made by calling (202) 395-6186. The USTR
Reading Room is generally open to the public from 10 a.m.-12 noon and
1-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Appointments must be scheduled at
least 48 hours in advance.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th of January 2005.
Arnold Levine,
Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-804 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P
