[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36578-36579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14951]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Dominican Republic--Central America--United States Free Trade 
Agreement; Notice of Request for Public Comments on Submission 
2011-03 (Dominican Republic)

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of 
Labor.

ACTION: Request for comments from the public.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) requests public 
comments and specific information related to Submission 2011-
03, which was accepted for review pursuant to Article 16.4.3 of the 
Dominican Republic--Central America--United States Free Trade Agreement 
(CAFTA-DR). The submission alleges that the Government of the Dominican 
Republic (GODR) failed to fulfill its obligations under Chapter 16 of 
the CAFTA-DR (the Labor Chapter) through actions or lack thereof that 
denied workers in the sugar sector their rights under the laws of the 
Dominican Republic relating to freedom of association, the right to 
organize, child labor, forced labor, the right to bargain collectively, 
and acceptable conditions of work. The submission is posted on the ILAB 
Web site at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/otla/DRSubmission2011.pdf.

DATES: Written comments are due no later than 5 p.m. July 2, 2012.
    Submission of Comments: Submitters of information are requested to 
provide their submission to OTLA in English at the email or physical 
address below by 5:00 p.m. on July 2, 2012. Information may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
    (1) By email to: [email protected].
    (2) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. The 
portal includes instructions for submitting comments. Parties 
submitting responses electronically are encouraged not to submit paper 
copies.
    (3) By facsimile (fax): Joshua Kagan, OTLA, at 202-693-4851.
    (4) Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger Service: 
Joshua Kagan, U.S. Department of Labor, OTLA, Bureau of International 
Labor Affairs, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-5303, Washington, DC 
20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Joshua Kagan, OTLA, 
U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room S-5303, 
Washington, DC 20210. Email: [email protected]. Telephone: (202) 
693-4882. (This is not a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Article 16.4.3 of the Labor Chapter of the 
CAFTA-DR provides for the receipt and review of public communications 
(``submissions'') regarding labor law matters in Central America and 
the Dominican Republic. A Federal Register notice issued on December 
21, 2006, informed the public that the OTLA had been designated as the 
office to serve as the contact point for implementing the CAFTA-DR's 
labor provisions. The same Federal Register notice informed the public 
of the Procedural Guidelines that OTLA would follow for the receipt and 
review of public submissions (71 FR 76691 (2006)). These Procedural 
Guidelines are available at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/otla/proceduralguidelines.htm.
    On February 22, 2012, Submission 2011-03 was accepted for 
review pursuant to Article 16.4.3 of the CAFTA-DR, and a Federal 
Register notice announcing this decision was published on March 15, 
2012 (77 FR 15397 (2012)). OTLA is now in the process of conducting its 
review of the submission to determine its findings on the allegations 
in the submission. As part of this review, OTLA has received 
information from stakeholders, visited the Dominican Republic, met with 
organizations and individuals, and conducted interviews with workers 
and their representatives, management and other sugar industry 
representatives, and the government. In addition, OTLA, via this 
notice, seeks information from the general public relevant to the 
submission as part of its review process. Comments submitted should, to 
the greatest extent possible:
    1. Provide facts relating to the enforcement of the GODR's laws 
related to freedom of association, the right to organize, child labor, 
forced labor, the right to bargain collectively, and acceptable 
conditions of work in the sugar sector;
    2. Relate to events occurring after March 1, 2007;
    3. Include the source of the information received, such as a legal 
document, an interview, a report from another organization, or if 
appropriate to the facts at hand, personal experience; as well as the 
title, name

[[Page 36579]]

and date of the source if possible (please note the instructions 
regarding information submitted in confidence below);
    4. Comments containing allegations of labor rights violations 
should specify: (a) which Dominican labor law related to freedom of 
association, the right to organize, child labor, forced labor, the 
right to bargain collectively, and acceptable conditions of work is 
alleged to have been violated; (b) the location and time of the alleged 
violation; (c) the number of workers affected; (d) the specific action, 
or lack thereof, by the GODR related to the allegation; and (e) if 
applicable, when and how the GODR was notified of the allegation.
    In accordance with Section H of the Procedural Guidelines, OTLA 
solicits specific information relevant to the review of Submission 
2011-3 and the GODR's protection of the specified labor rights covered 
by Article 16.8 of the CAFTA-DR from the public in the form of written 
document in Word or Power Point in English. Comments submitted to OTLA 
in response to this Notice will be posted online and included in the 
public file and thus will become publicly accessible. As provided in 
Section E of the Procedural Guidelines, information submitted by a 
person or another Party to the OTLA in confidence shall be treated as 
exempt from public inspection if the information meets the requirements 
of 5 U.S.C. 552(b) or as otherwise permitted by law. Each person or 
Party requesting such treatment shall clearly mark ``submitted in 
confidence'' on each page or portion of a page so submitted and furnish 
an explanation as to the need for exemption from public inspection. If 
the material is not accepted in confidence, it will be returned 
promptly to the submitter with an explanation for the action taken. 
OTLA will be sensitive to the needs of an individual's confidentiality 
and will make every effort to protect such individual's interests.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on June 12, 2012.
Carol Pier,
Acting Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012-14951 Filed 6-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-28-P