ITUC Special Commission: Update

At its meeting on 13 January, the ITUC General Council finalised the terms of reference to establish a Special Commission “to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allegations against Luca Visentini, including the results of the external audit, and other matters, including ITUC financial rules and procedures, conduct of elections and related issues.”

On 7 February, the Special Commission formally began its work.

At the request of the Commission, the ITUC is releasing the following statement from the commission Chair Eva Nordmark:

“The allegations against recently elected ITUC General Secretary Luca Visentini are a threat to the fundamental values of democracy, justice, and solidarity that the trade union movement stands for. It is a testament to the ITUC that it has entrusted an independent commission to critically evaluate how these events came to pass and recommend how the organisation must proceed from them.

“Facing an intense time constraint, the Commission has worked diligently and confidentially over the past weeks to produce for the ITUC General Council a report that sufficiently examines and analyses these events.

“As of this week, we have completed this process and distributed our report to the General Council. It includes a brief overview of our process and constraints, our findings per the terms of reference, and our key recommendations regarding rules reforms for the ITUC and potential next steps for the position of General Secretary.

“We believe that the report provides clarity for the General Council to take immediate action on the key questions raised by the crisis.

“The report now belongs to the General Council, and we refer further questions regarding its contents, distribution, or publication to the General Council following its 11 March meeting.”