IFA World Conference

GLOBAL: On September 26 and 27 the IMF will be holding a conference in Frankfurt, Germany on the future direction of International Framework Agreements(IFAs). Delegates to the IFA World Conference will be asked to consider questions such as:

• What standard of agreement should IMF agree to sign?
• How can we build international solidarity at the negotiation stage?
• Should IMF target particular companies for an IFA?
• What do we expect to gain from implementing IFAs?
• How can we ensure that companies comply with the terms of the IFA?

International Framework Agreements are negotiated between a transnational company and the trade unions of its workforce at the global level. It is a global instrument with the purpose of ensuring fundamental workers’ rights in all of the target company’s locations as well as those of its suppliers. The conference will make recommendations to the IMF Executive Committee and help to guide the IMF in its future work on negotiating, signing, implementing and enforcing IFAs. A background paper recording the historical and political context in which IFAs have been negotiated and providing practical information on their usage to date has been prepared for the conference. The background paper and other conference papers are published in all IMF languages on the IMF website at: www.imfmetal.org/ifaAug 15, 2006 – Alex Ivanou