The three countries' program of tri-national cooperative activities, one of the basic pillars of the NAALC, continued for the third consecutive year in 1996.

Activities undertaken in 1996 were:

A. Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational Safety and Health Planning Session
March 25-26, 1996 - Mexico City

Specialists from the United States, Canada and Mexico were hosted by Mexico to review progress and plan future activities for occupational safety and health (OSH) matters. A draft plan was developed and later approved by the Ministerial Council. Among the main proposals were a North American OSH Week and a Technical Seminar on safety and health in the bottling industry.

Planning Meeting on OSH Week in the
NAFTA Countries
September 19-20, 1996 - Dallas

The purpose of this session was to plan the establishment of a North American Occupational Safety and Health Week as an ongoing cooperative activity. The planners agreed to hold a simultaneous OSH week in the three countries on June 2-6, 1997, whose theme would be OSH as a factor of productivity. Five sub-themes, one for each day of the week, were adopted and will be publicized under a common OSH logo and supporting information. A steering committee of government specialists and Secretariat staff was created to manage the tri-national program.

NAALC Petrochemical Study Tour "Preventing Catastrophic Explosions in the Petrochemical Industry in North America" October 27-31, 1996 - Orlando, Florida

This cooperative activity hosted by the U.S. NAO followed on the International Seminar on Occupational Safety and Health in the Petrochemical Industry in North America, held on November 13-17, 1994 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The study tour was held in conjunction with the 1996 Congress and Exhibition of the (U.S.) National Safety Congress.

The group reviewed existing mechanisms for preventing explosions in the petrochemical industry, such as internal audits and mechanical integrity programs. There was also a work site visit to an IMC-AGRICO Florida Co. plant located in Mulberry, Florida, which produces concentrated phosphate. The plant has a cooperative labor-management program on safety issues and an exemplary program in training independent contractors and final customers to assure compliance with OSH standards. The delegations prepared a document titled "Prevention of Catastrophes Involving Chemical Substances" and devised a "Back Home Plan on OSH in the Petrochemical Industry" as their next program.

B. Employment and Job Training

Workshop on Continuous Learning and Development in the Workplace
April 23-24, 1996, Secretariat of the Commission for
Labor Cooperation - Dallas, Texas

As part of this Canadian-organized initiative, delegations from the three countries made up of labor, business and government representatives met at the Secretariat to review national legislation involving continuous learning and development in the workplace; public/private institutions delivering programs in this area; links with the educational sector and on-the-job training; strategies for skills upgrading and retraining; and, specific programs for skills certification. Case studies were also presented and discussed.

Workshop on Income Security Programs
October 3-4, 1996 - Ottawa, Canada

A government-to-government Workshop on Income Security Programs hosted by the Canadian NAO was held in Ottawa to exchange experiences regarding the policies each country is undertaking in areas such as unemployment/employment insurance, pensions and family benefits, workers' compensation, employment services and programs, and other related programs (e.g. emergent employment programs, and new labor-management relations cooperative approaches).

The representatives agreed on recommendations for follow-up activities that could be included in the Secretariat's 1997 workplan.

Tripartite Seminar on Responding to the Growth of Non-Standard Work and Changing Work Time Patterns and Practices

November 25-26, 1996 - Ottawa, Canada

This two-day workshop hosted by the Canadian NAO provided an opportunity for tripartite delegations from the USA, Canada and Mexico to share information and points of view regarding types and forms of work, new forms of work, definitions of non-standard work, legislation on non-standard work and policies undertaken, effects of new work patterns on workers and employers, and current research on these issues. During their discussions the participants used as their point of reference the findings on non-standard work contained in the comparative profile of the North American Labor Markets produced by the Secretariat.

C. Labor Law and Workers Rights

Industrial Relations for the 21st Century
Canada-United States-Mexico Tripartite Conference
March 18-20, 1996 - Montreal, Canada

More than one hundred representatives from labor, business, academia and government of the three countries met in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for the third Conference on Labor Law and Industrial Relations. The topics covered in plenary sessions were: Industrial Relations Systems, Adjustment to Change; Workplace Practices for the 21st Century; Directions for Public Policy, and the Role of Government in Industrial Relations. There were several workshops addressing the issues of Globalization and Industrial Relations, Freedom of Association/Right to Organize in North America, and Gender Equality in the Workplace: The Industrial Relations Perspective.

Canada's Minister of Labour, Alfonso Gagliano, presented his vision of the workplace of the future and the major challenges facing employers, workers and governments. Quebec's Labour Minister, Matthias Rioux, discussed the changing structure of the labor market and its international implications. Proceedings of the Conference are available from the Canadian NAO.