Tutte le prenotazioni devono essere fatte per tramite della Segreteria; la conferma delle vostre prenotazioni sarà inviata direttamente ai delegati o all’organizzazione. Ci permettiamo di insistere sul fatto che tutti i delegati devono comunicarci anticipatamente le date di arrivo e di partenza, e vi preghiamo di prendere nota del fatto che non possiamo garantire le prenotazioni se non abbiamo queste date entro e non oltre il 15 settembre. Le condizioni dell’albergo sono estremamente severe. Gli annullamenti di prenotazioni che non sono effettuati entro sei giorni prima dell’arrivo comportano il pagamento della camera; peraltro, in caso di mancato arrivo, le camere saranno fatturate al delegato o all’organizzazione. Per agevolare le disposizioni organizzative della riunione, vogliate per cortesia indicare la data esatta dell’arrivo a Sydney, senza dimenticare che un volo diretto dall’Europa a Sydney, per esempio, dura circa 23 ore. Se partite dall’Europa giovedì sera arriverete a Sydney prima di sabato mattina. Poichè il check in non si fa prima di mezzogiorno, dovrete forse prenotare la camera già dalla notte precedente.

Qualora non ci comunicaste in tempo le date di arrivo e partenza, non potremo provvedere a tale assicurazione a vostro nome.

Ni uppmanas att göra en visumansökan i god tid. För medborgare i vissa länder kan det ta flera månader att erhålla visum! IMF kommer inte att kunna hjälpa er om ni anländer i Australien utan visum. Observera också att ert pass måste vara giltigt minst tre månader efter er avresa från Australien. Deltagare från vissa länder måste ha vissa vaccinationer. Vi ber er att uppfylla dessa krav i god tid före avresan till Australien.

Deltagare från Kanada, Skandinavien och USA kommer att bo på Regent Sydney (199 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000, tel (61 2) 9238 0000, fax 9251 2851). Kostnaden för rum är AUD 338, frukost AUD 32.75. Alla hotellreservationer måste göras via sekretariatet; bekräftelsen på er hotellreservation kommer att postas direkt till era ombud eller till organisationen. Vi ber alla deltagare att informera oss om sina ankomst- och avresedatum i god tid före kongressen. Vi kan inte garantera några hotellplatser om vi inte har dessa datum allra senast den 15 september. Observera att villkoren för gruppreservationerna är mycket strikta. Avbeställningar mindre än sex dagar före ankomsten och outnyttjade reservationer som inte avbokats kommer att debiteras berörd person eller organisation. För att underlätta organiseringen av mötet bör ni ange det exakta ankomstdatumet i Sydney. Ett direktflyg från till exempel Europa till Sydney tar ungefär 23 timmar. Om ni lämnar Europa en torsdag kväll kommer ni inte fram till Sydney före lördag morgon. Då incheckningstiden inte är före kl. 12 kan ni eventuellt vilja reservera ert rum redan kvällen före.

Om ni dock inte meddelar oss era ankomst- och avresetider i tillräckligt god tid kommer vi inte att kunna ta denna försäkring för er.

GENEVA: In the IMF Action Programme adopted at its 1997 Congress in San Francisco, the need for the IMF to undertake initiatives to analyse changes in the organisation of work, and their impact on different groups of workers, was underlined.
One of these initiatives has been a joint research project carried out by the IMF Working Group on Work Organisation to determine the impact of restructuring trends on collective bargaining, work organisation and work content, and to explore the trade unions’ responses.
The outcome of this study has now been published by the IMF in a paper entitled “Enterprise Restructuring and Work Organisation”. The first part deals with current trends, particularly evidence of measures that enhance flexibility, contingency and individualisation, and the repercussions on workers. The second highlights union responses to these changes and achievements.
“Enterprise Restructuring and Work Organisation”, in English only, can be accessed on the IMF website under “Publications”. For a printed copy, make requests by e-mail: [email protected] or fax: (41/22) 308-5055, with the necessary postal address.

MALAYSIA: The Sun newspaper reports that the May 12 nationwide picket, which was being organised by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress in protest against investment policies of the Employees Provident Fund, has been postponed for three months. The MTUC decided to put off the picket until August 9 when the Malaysian prime minister agreed to act on the following grievances involving the EPF:
– the annuity scheme to be deferred pending a consultant study;
– the restoration of the death and incapacitation benefits to be considered;
– the money in the pension fund to be properly managed.
The MTUC is also demanding the EPF Act be amended so that its members fill at least half the seats on the EPF board. At present, the MTUC has only five representatives on the board, while employers have 18.

KOREA, REP: The president of the Korean umbrella trade union organisation, FKTU, to which the Federation of Korean Metalworkers Trade Unions is affiliated, has been on a hunger strike since April 29. Lee Nam-soon is protesting the government’s attempts to suppress the trade union movement and its continued policy of unilateral restructuring.
Although physically quite weak after 12 days of taking in nothing but water, Lee has declared he will continue his hunger strike “until the government turns its attitude and policies favourably to labour and the people.”
Among demands being made by the FKTU and its members are:
– trade union involvement in finding ways to overcome the economic downturn and public antagonism,
– trade union participation in corporate and state management in order to improve dialogue and prevent unfair labour practices,
– revision of government policies on restructuring,
– punishment of police officers who used violence to break the strike at Daewoo Motors and the release of workers imprisoned for legitimate trade union activities,
– enactment of legislation regarding anti-corruption, maternity protection and the 40-hour 5-day workweek this year,
– expansion of the social safety net for the unemployed,
– immediate repeal of the National Security Law.

NOTE: The IMF has just been informed that Lee Nam-soon has been hospitalised in critical condition.

AUSTRALIA: Australia’s biggest trade unions today (May 10) launched a campaign to stop the proposed $58 billion merger (US$30.5 billion) of Australia’s largest company, the mineral and metals multinational BHP Ltd, with the London-based metals multinational Billiton plc. The IMF’s three Australian affiliates — the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, Australian Workers’ Union, and the Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union — have joined with three other unions to urge BHP shareholders to reject the proposal.
The unions and workers are greatly concerned that the deal would result in large-scale job losses and insecurity.
The merger will require a 75 per cent vote in favour of it to pass, however financial analysts are not pushing the deal, and so far approximately 20 per cent of the shareholders are leaning against accepting it.
The trade union campaign will include advertisements in the media and a rally on May 18 at the shareholders’ meeting.

CHILE: The IMF was deeply concerned to learn that, on May 3, as striking workers were picketing at the front entrance of the Fabisa bicycle factory in Santiago, a bus carrying company management and personnel forced its way through the workers, killing one and seriously injuring two. The workers and their trade union, Constramet, are demanding an increase in pay.
On behalf of the IMF, the regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Pereira, has written strong letters of protest to the top management of the company as well as to Chile’s labour minister condemning this deadly act. He demanded a prompt and rigorous investigation of what happened and that those responsible for it be brought to justice.
Pereira said it is totally unacceptable that workers and their trade union representatives are not assured the necessary conditions to exercise their legal right to strike and to bargain collectively, guarantees which are incorporated in Chilean law as well as in the Conventions of the International Labour Organisation. He called for urgent measures to be taken to prevent the continued violation of democratic and trade union rights and expressed the IMF’s total support for the legitimate demands of the 300 striking workers and their trade union.