ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Inter-American Council for Integral Development
(CIDI)
XV INTER-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
MINISTERS OF LABOR
September 11-13, 2007
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
OEA/Ser.K/XII.15.1
TRABAJO/doc.24/07
25 September 2007
Original: Spanish
REPORT OF THE JOINT MEETINGS OF THE TRADE UNION TECHNICAL ADVISORY
COUNCIL (COSATE) AND THE BUSINESS TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
LABOR MATTERS (CEATAL)
The Trade Union Technical Advisory Council (COSATE) and the Business Technical
Advisory Committee on Labor Matters (CEATAL) held a joint meeting on September 11, 2007, at
11:00 a.m., in the framework of the XV Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor, where
they signed the Joint Declaration. Later that day, at 2:30 p.m., they had a special meeting with the
Ministers of Labor.
Following is a brief account of those two meetings.
JOINT MEETING OF COSATE AND CEATAL
Mr. Alfonso Quiñónez, Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, pointed
out in his opening remarks that this meeting was evidence of a special and unique mechanism of the
IACML that enables workers and employers to engage in dialogue and take part as advisors in the
establishment of the region’s labor-related priorities. He reaffirmed the importance of tripartism and
congratulated COSATE and CEATAL on their work and their joint statement.
In his capacity as the outgoing President of COSATE, Mr. Salvador Medina reported on the
elections held in the Council and stressed that, as the new President, Mr. Robert Giuseppi will foster
participation by the Caribbean in COSATE and IACML activities. He thanked CEATAL for its
cooperation in the work of the past two years and the Technical Secretariat of the OAS for all its
support during his presidency.
Mr. Robert Giuseppi, the incoming President of COSATE, emphasized the excellent
relations between CEATAL and COSATE and said he was sure that they will continue to thrive. He
paid special tribute to CEATAL and underscored the importance of it being recognized in the OAS
as the principal interlocutor of employers. He announced that COSATE would focus in the coming
years on the economic aspects of social dialogue in an effort to expand its horizons and acquire new
analytic tools.
Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja, Chair of CEATAL, underlined the mutual respect felt between
COSATE and CEATAL and reaffirmed his desire to continue the cooperation between them. He
stressed that social dialogue was a difficult, but highly necessary, exercise, which presupposes
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commitment on the part of governments and a sense of responsibility on the part of workers and
employers. He recognized that workers are the necessary counterpart for effective social dialogue
and for that reason he welcomed the fact that in the OAS social dialogue is with the stakeholders
themselves and is not confused with dialogue with civil society. Accordingly, he confirmed
CEATAL’s commitment to that dialogue and to the Americas as a whole. He underlines three
indispensable conditions for social dialogue: political democracy, the market economy, and decent
work, and he highlighted the need, also, for sustainable enterprises. Finally, he reiterated the request
that the OAS grant equal treatment to workers and employers in its activities, because following a
resolution on the subject adopted at the OAS General Assembly in 2007 the two were not being
treated on an equal footing. He acknowledged, too, that COSATE supported this request, an
achievement which in itself was undoubtedly a product of social dialogue.
Mr. Octavio Carvajal, Vice Chair of CEATAL, acknowledged the role of CEATAL and
COSATE as social interlocutors and reminded participants that this responsibility entails
establishing truly representative, authentic, path-breaking organizations, imbued with a commitment
to their countries and conscious of the set of issues facing them.
Mr. Rubén Cortina, the COSATE representative, reiterated that effective social dialogue is
essential in this new growth phase and that deadlines were needed for targets capable of being
monitored. He re-asserted the need for sustainable enterprises and called for corporate social
responsibility. He also stressed that political democracy had to go deeper and improve if it is to live
up to the labor relations challenges of the future. He mentioned the need to continue discussing a
change of paradigm, involving definition of a new role for the State.
Mr. Dagoberto Lima Godoy, Vice Chair of CEATAL, requested that in future these meetings
be conducted in the four official languages of the OAS. He emphasized that social dialogue in the
context of labor and production relations is a tripartite dialogue among governments, workers, and
employers and that these social players should not allow other organizations to intervene that do not
have the same commitment. He underscored the need for effective social dialogue objectives and
results that can be monitored.
Ms. Marta Pujadas, Vice President of COSATE, referred to the Joint Statement and
commented on its development over time since the first joint statements of the two bodies. She
recognized the achievements resulting from the effective participation of COSATE and CEATAL
before, after, and during IACML activities. She said she considered it necessary to ensure that in
coming years the President/Chair of each body, together with two additional representatives, are
present in the various activities of the IACML in order to organize, monitor, and follow up more
thoroughly on subsequent statements.
Mr. Juan José Fraschini, on behalf of CEATAL, congratulated the President and Chair for
their prolific work in all the activities carried out. He applauded workers and employers for their
attitude and good will with respect to efforts to foster a social dialogue and he reiterated the
commitment of employers to make such dialogue effective in the long run.
Mr. Lincoln Lewis of COSATE asserted that it is up to workers and employees to take into
account the poverty afflicting the region and he stressed the importance of a commitment by both
parties to developing an integral program to fight it.
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Ms. Marta Pujadas then read out the Joint Statement by COSATE and CEATAL, which was
adopted by acclamation by those present and signed by the President of COSATE and the Chair of
CEATAL in the presence of the Director-General of the ILO, Juan Somavía, and of the Executive
Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, Alfonso Quiñonez.
Shortly before the meeting ended, Mr. Juan Somavía addressed a few words to participants.
He welcomed the signing of the Joint COSATE-CEATAL Statement, which represented, he said, a
major effort of consensus-building and dialogue. He emphasized the fundamental role of social
dialogue in the forging of truly democratic societies and mentioned the ILO report “Decent work in
the Americas: An agenda for the Hemisphere, 2006-2015,” adopted in 2006 during the Sixteenth
American Regional Meeting of the ILO. He emphasized that, based on that Agenda, Decent Work
Country Programs are being drawn up, which will facilitate the convergence of public and private
efforts to systematically incorporate a decent work agenda in national development policies. He also
thanked COSATE and CEATAL for inviting him to witness the signing of the Joint Statement.
MEETING OF COSATE AND CEATAL WITH THE MINISTERS OF LABOR
At 2:30 p.m. on September 11, 2007, representatives of COSATE and CEATAL held a
special meeting with the Ministers of Labor attending the XV IACML.
The Honorable Javier Lozano Alarcón, Secretary for Labor and Social Security of Mexico
and the pro tempore President of the XIV IACML, welcomed the Ministers of Labor and the
representatives of COSATE and CEATAL. He underscored the importance of dialogue between the
factors of production and governments and he stressed that dialogue with the productive sectors is
the best way to forge appropriate public policies capable of achieving the Hemisphere’s shared
objectives. He then yielded the floor to Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja, Chair of CEATAL, and Mr.
Robert Giuseppi, President of COSATE, and to representatives of the two advisory bodies.
Mr. Funes de Rioja recalled that just a few hours earlier a new joint statement had been
signed by the region’s workers and employers that not only reaffirms joint goals but also testifies to
the commitment to dialogue and to the quest for harmonization of the objectives pursued by the
social sectors. He recognized organized labor as the natural counterpart in the social dialogue. He
emphasized that without political democracy none of the ideals of a modern enterprise can be
fulfilled and he underlined the pre-eminence of sustainable enterprise and decent work as the basis
for progress and well-being in the Hemisphere. He also stressed the importance of increasingly
formal economies with well established rules and standards. He reaffirmed the commitment of
entrepreneurs in the Americas to engage responsibly in social dialogue and he reiterated the
importance of the OAS as the appropriate framework in the region for facilitating a form of social
dialogue that is both practical and effective.
Mr. Giuseppi pondered the changes brought about by globalization and the issues it raises
for the region as a whole. He spoke emphatically of the need for concrete progress and the need to
plan, not just in terms of tasks to be accomplished, but also with respect to methods and deadlines
for correcting such social ills as poverty, discrimination, and lack of opportunities. He called upon
Labor Ministries not just to examine standards and functions, but to give priority to social dialogue
and to regard it as a core component of cooperation with the workers’ movement and the business
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sector. He reiterated COSATE’s commitment to play a significant part in the Conference and to
work in conjunction with CEATAL in support of the Conference’s objectives.
Mr. Octavio Carvajal, Vice Chair of CEATAL, pointed out that one of the basic conditions
for achieving decent work, with dignity and humanity, is the avoidance of occupational hazards. He
stressed that countries’ productivity and competitiveness are directly impaired by accidents at work
and occupational illnesses and he urged ministries of labor to act as catalysts and coordinators of
actions and regulations designed to prevent occupational hazards.
Mr. Dagoberto Lima Godoy, Vice Chair of CEATAL, referred to social dialogue as a
tripartite dialogue between government authorities and representatives legitimately chosen by
enterprises and by workers. He emphasized that collective bargaining is the fundamental mechanism
for conciliation among social actors and underscored the importance of sustainable development and
stronger labor ministries in order to confront the challenges posed by competition in a globalized
world.
Mr. Salvador Medina, Vice President of COSATE, then emphasized the pressing need to
generate stable, highly productive, well paid jobs with adequate social protection in order to break
the vicious circle of exclusion and inequality afflicting the region and to consolidate democratic
governance and respect for the rights of workers. He said it was essential to heed international
agreements based on values that can restore proper working conditions and he proposed a strategy
whereby each State would develop its own national capabilities by regulating economic activities
without neglecting the rank and file in such a way as to ensure that everyone in that society benefits
from globalization.
Ms. Marta Pujadas, on behalf of COSATE, reaffirmed that the joint statement signed by
COSATE and CEATAL is one the cornerstones of the commitment of workers and employers to
effective, ongoing social dialogue. She reiterated the importance of drawing up an agenda for
institutionalizing such dialogue and urged governments to call upon social actors to take part in the
design of and quest for national solutions.
Ms. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, Minister of Labor of Antigua and Barbuda, noted that gendermainstreaming is a key part of gender equality and that this topic must be included in the decent
work agenda.
The meeting was declared closed at 3:30 p.m. after Secretary of State Lozano Alarcón
congratulated COSATE and CEATAL on their outstanding commitment to social dialogue
throughout the Hemisphere.
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