The importance of information has never been appreciated more than today, in the Information Age. Information technology has literally transformed economic life over the past few decades, and the uses of information are continuously expanding, from robotics manufacturing to providing public services. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the design of a new international institution such as the Commission for Labor Cooperation, the development and dissemination of information should be given a central role.

Article 1 of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) contains its "Objectives," and one of these is to "encourage publication and exchange of information, data development and coordination, and joint studies to enhance mutually beneficial understanding of the laws and institutions governing labor in each Party's territory."

Article 10 describes the functions of the Council of Ministers, the governing body of the Commission, and one of these functions is to "promote the collection and publication of comparable data on enforcement, labor standards and labor market indicators."

Article 14 is devoted to describing the reports and studies to be prepared by the Secretariat of the Commission, covering: "labor law and administrative procedures; trends and administrative strategies related to the implementation and enforcement of labor law; labor market conditions such as employment rates, average wages and labor productivity; and human resource development issues such as training and adjustment programs."

Moreover, the procedures respecting "Cooperative Consultations and Evaluations," which are central to the obligations of the Parties respecting labor law enforcement, and the dispute resolution procedures that the Agreement also provides, all rely heavily on the development and exchange of public information.

In reviewing the work of the Commission for Labor Cooperation during 1996, this public information dimension has been manifest and deserves special recognition. This information will foster deeper and more widespread understanding of the different labor systems in each country, their historical evolution and the legal, social and economic factors that condition their current development. Information is essential to mutual understanding, to consensus and to cooperation.

1996 began for the Commission with a public forum in San Francisco, California and a seminar in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, for the exchange of information related to Ministerial Consultations on trade union formation issues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. One of these Consultations led to the first request by the Ministerial Council to the Secretariat to prepare a "Special Study" to develop further information on labor rights in relation to plant closings in all three countries. Overall, as is the intent of the Agreement, Ministerial Consultations have generated important new international forums for the presentation and exchange of information on critical, and sometimes sensitive, labor issues.

During 1996 the Secretariat completed work on several major reports for publication in 1997: North American Labor Markets: A Comparative Labor Profile, 1984-1995 and Comparative Labor Law Report, Volume 1, which are intended to be used as new sources of basic comparative information in these broad areas. Excerpts from these studies are presented throughout this Annual Report.

In addition, the Cooperative Activities organized by the National Administrative Offices have continued to bring people from different sectors in the three countries together to exchange information and discuss trends in a range of labor fields such as industrial relations, employment standards and occupational safety and health.

As a result of the work of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, there is a growing body of reports, studies, conferences and seminars related to the labor laws and labor market systems of the NAFTA countries. This information and these discussions and analyses provide a necessary basis for progress towards the first, and most important, of the NAALC's objectives: "to improve the working conditions and living standards in each Party's territory."


John S. McKennirey
Executive Director