The Council will make a decision early in January on the question of an acting General Secretary in the interim. Until then, Deputy General Secretary Owen Tudor will fulfil the responsibilities of General Secretary.
The Council decided to establish two processes:
- An independent external audit of all financial questions concerning the circumstances relating to the allegations and of the ITUC’s financial rules and procedures; and,
- The establishment of a special Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allegations against Luca Visentini, including the results of the external audit, and possibly other matters.
The terms of reference for the two processes, and the composition of the special Commission, will be decided by the General Council in the shortest possible time-frame.
Reports from the audit, and from the special Commission with recommendations for action, will be considered by the General Council at its meeting on 11 March.
The General Council reiterated the ITUC’s total opposition to any form of corruption, and its determination to ensure strict prudential and other preventative measures. Where corruption exists, workers are among its principal victims.