This Congress is designed to be interactive, to enable participants to engage in discussions and debates based on the experiences, campaigns, political action and organising strategies of trade unions from across the world.

The Congress Statement will be debated directly in the main Congress plenary.

If any resolutions on urgent matters are proposed, the Congress Standing Orders Committee will first decide if the proposals really are urgent and if so, they would then be sent to the Plenary for debate.

Official speeches from leaders of delegations for the Congress record can be given using the “Congress Live” broadcast facility – the speeches will be live-streamed on the internet via the Congress website, and recorded for the official report of Congress.

The speeches will be grouped by region, at the times most relevant to each region, according to the following schedule:

Monday, 19 May
15:00-18:00 Americas

Tuesday, 20 May
09:00-12:30 Asia-Pacific
14:00-16:00 Europe
16:00-18:00 Americas

Wednesday, 21 May
14:00-17:30 Africa

Thursday, 22 May
09:00-12:30 Europe
14:00-16:00 Africa
16:00-18:00 All regions

There will be a time limit of four minutes per speech. Requests to be included on the speakers’ list can be made at the Congress Live facility.

The discussion of priorities and best practice that will constitute the Frameworks for Action will be debated in the sub-plenaries.

Sustainable Jobs - Draft Framework for Action
Realising Rights - Draft Framework for Action
Union Growth - Draft Framework for Action

There are three ways to participate in the sub-plenaries. Participants can intervene in the discussion from the floor, tweet comments and suggestions using the congress hashtags which will be displayed continuously on twitter walls in each of the sub plenaries, or email suggestions to the secretariat using the specific email address for each sub-plenary:
Union Growth: [email protected]
Sustainable Jobs: [email protected]
Realising Rights: [email protected]

To help structure the work in the sub-plenaries, a series of discussion points are planned for specific sessions. The debates will be introduced by short interventions, panel discussions or videos, to help set the scene for the debate on each topic. With large numbers of participants expected to take part in each sub-plenary, participants are requested to keep their remarks short and focused on the topic, and to refrain from delivering speeches in the sub-plenary sessions.

The Union Growth sub-plenary will take place in the main plenary hall, so there is no limitation on the number of participants. However participants will be asked to sign up for the other two sub-plenaries. Access to sub-plenaries will not be strictly limited to participants who have signed up, however the space limitations mean that larger delegations will need to spread their participation across the different sub-plenaries.

The plan for each sub-plenary, subject to possible change is:

UNION GROWTH

Monday, 19 May
14:00–17:30
Corporate Organising campaigns

Tuesday, 20 May
09:00-12:30
Regional Organising Targets and ITUC Organising Academy
Organising Campaigns of National Centres

14:00-17:30
Organising in the Informal Economy

Wednesday, 21 May
14:00-17:30
Domestic Workers

Thursday, 22 May
09:00-12:30
Youth - Get Organised
New Forms of Worker Representation

14:30-17:30
Union Targets - 20 million Challenge

SUSTAINABLE JOBS - SECURE INCOMES - SOCIAL PROTECTION

Monday 19, May
14:00-17:30
The jobs crisis, inequality and redistribution

Tuesday 20, May
09:00-12:30
Taming corporate power: trade and supply chains

14:00-17:30
Retirement Incomes: Adequacy, Investment and Governance,
Climate change - will industry save the climate?

Wednesday, 21 May
14:00-17:30
Count Us In: Women’s Participation in Work and Unions

Thursday, 22 May
09:00-12:30 Trade Unions Partnering for Development

REALISING RIGHTS

Monday, 19 May
14:00-16:30
Countries at Risk – Mobilising Global Solidarity

Tuesday, 20 May
09:00-12:30 Migrant Workers – Organising for Rights

14:00- 17:30
Indigenous Peoples – Land, Work and Rights
“We Rise” – Ending Violence Against Women

Wednesday, 21 May
14:00-17:30
Combatting Precarious Work
Organising for Occupational Safety and Health

Thursday, 22 May
09:00-12:30
Workplace Discrimination – A Workers’ Hearing
Peace and Freedom – Unions Engaged in Peace and Liberation Struggles

Provision is made for each sub-plenary to meet from 14:00 – 15:00 on Thursday 22 May, to finalise any work which needs to be completed. The reports from the sub-plenaries, with any amendments to the Action Frameworks, will then be sent to the Congress Standing Orders Committee.