Joint ILO-ICFTU OnLine Discussion Group on "Organised Labour in the 21st Century"

ICFTU Online..., 145/990729/DD, 29 July 1999

Brussels July 29 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): Juan Somavia, Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the ICFTU are launching an online debate on "Organised Labour in the 21st Century" on September 15.

Juan Somavia will launch the online Conference with the first contribution, followed by a response from Bill Jordan. Following this, questions from online participants will be selected to be put to the speakers by the Conference moderator.

The online debate or 'Conference' is aimed at trade unionists and labour researchers and is expected to run for about twelve months.. Each month new guest speakers will be invited to act as "panellists", to take questions on the month's hot topic. All questions will be gathered and selected by a moderator, so that anything posted to the conference is monitored before it goes out over the list.

Discussion will focus on the future of trade unions around the world, and topics are likely to include: employment and development, the law and trade unions, responses to globalisation, structural adjustment, collective bargaining and social dialogue, women in unions, youth in unions, political strategy (alliances with NGOs, etc), and union structures and services.

The Conference will be run by the ILO's International Institute for Labour Studies, in cooperation with the ICFTU.

Those interested in participating in the Conference are encouraged to sign up in time for the opening, so that they will have a chance to react and put questions to the keynote speakers by e-mail or over the web.

All those interested, can sign up from July 29 on: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/130inst/research/network/index.htm