[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35060-35062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14165]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Bureau of International Labor Affairs; Request for Information 
Concerning Labor Rights in Panama and Its Laws Governing Exploitative 
Child Labor

AGENCIES: Office of the Secretary, Labor; Office of the United States 
Trade Representative and Department of State.

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ACTION: Request for comments from the public.

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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 Panama 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.

DATES: Public comments should be received no later than 5 p.m. August 
9, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Persons submitting comments are strongly advised to make 
such submissions by electronic mail to the following address: 
[email protected]. 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 Panama's 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 18, 2003, 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 Panama. The notification letter to the Congress 
can be found on the USTR Web site at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Panama/2003-11-18-notification_letter.pdf. At a public hearing 
conducted on March 23, 2004, the interagency Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) received 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 8518) (Feb. 24, 
2004). Negotiations were launched on April 26, 2004.
    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 Panama, including laws governing exploitative 
child labor, and that country's implementation and enforcement of its 
labor laws and regulations;
    2. The situation in Panama with respect to core labor standards;
    3. Steps taken by Panama 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 
Panama.
    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: [email protected]. Persons making 
submissions by e-mail should use the following subject line: ``Panama: 
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.


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    Signed at Washington, DC, this 16 of June 2004.
Martha Newton,
Associate Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 04-14165 Filed 6-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P