An expensive looking box of assorted donuts arrives for Minister Talbott, with a note:
-heagarty as NPC
GM Events
-heagarty as NPC
GM Events
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*Talbott falls back into his chair, takes a donut and stuffs it into his mouth all at once. Visibly disappointed, he stares at the box blankly for about ten seconds, swallows his donut, hurls the box into the trash, and storms out of the building.*heagarty said:
Newslink said:
On behalf of the advisory board at CAFTA, I would like to commend the uneqivocal positive step taken by St. Esprit as well as the conditional acceptance by Tilapia. The missing element is now approval from the government or legislature of Eutopia, although with the large UP majority, that would amount to same thing. Under the provisions of the treaty, we have just one year from when St. Esprit approved it to complete our approval or risk the imposition of tariff barriers. This would not seem to be a difficult task, but we should complete it swiftly, as the clock is ticking.
Message to Jack Teano, Foreign Minister of La Republique Latine de St. Esprit:
Well more than a year has passed since your fine nation ratified the treaty and the government of the United Provinces of Eutopia have failed to do so. With El Reino del Tilapia opting for a more limited role, that makes St. Esprit the sole Founding Member State, as specified in the treaty. If the United Provinces of Eutopia wanted to join now, it would be up to you to okay it or not. You are also entitled to consider expansion of CAFTA now. Would you like me to try to contact Bermuda, Maderia, the Azores, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, or any nation further away about possible membership?
A letter arrives with a fancy-looking embellished seal reading REPUBLIQUE LATINE DE SAINT-ESPRIT - CORRESPONDANCE OFFICIELLE.
Per Loic de Fourgéres,
Chairman of CAFTA
Monsieur Fourgéres,
Unfortunately due to your nation's hesitancy in joining CAFTA last year, St. Espritian law and the order of my President says you must be invited to join CAFTA. Our parliamentary allies will immediately bring the issue to the floor of Parliament. I forsee no problems in the government inviting your nation (which requires Parliament's approval as well as the President's) and then you may ratify the treaty however you do it.
In hopes of a speedy ratification, and with best wishes as always,
Your obt. svt.
Armand Hamer
Ambassador of the Republic of St. Esprit
Per Loic de Fourgéres,
Chairman of CAFTA
Monsieur Fourgéres,
Unfortunately due to your nation's hesitancy in joining CAFTA last year, St. Espritian law and the order of my President says you must be invited to join CAFTA. Our parliamentary allies will immediately bring the issue to the floor of Parliament. I forsee no problems in the government inviting your nation (which requires Parliament's approval as well as the President's) and then you may ratify the treaty however you do it.
In hopes of a speedy ratification, and with best wishes as always,
Your obt. svt.
Armand Hamer
Ambassador of the Republic of St. Esprit
Lamont Rashaad makes a phone call to the CAFTA offices
As a member of the UCL, I'd like to join the CAFTA labour advisory board.
As a member of the UCL, I'd like to join the CAFTA labour advisory board.
Cornelius Dank, as head of the ECL, is welcomed to CAFTA's Labour Advisory Board. As there are thousands of members of the ECL, a request is sent for Lamont Rashaad's union leadership credentials.
Lamont Rashaad, Secretary of the ECL, is welcomed to CAFTA's Labour Advisory Board.
Loic, acting Chairman of CAFTA, drafts an invitation to a Central Atlantic Labour Conference.
A letter arrives from a Tilapian address stating that, after much consideration, Tilapian labor leader and Pro Consul Carlos Marcos will be attending the conference.
-von Streusser
as Tilapia
-von Streusser
as Tilapia
A caller leaves a message with the secretary informing the Chairman of CAFTA that a special envoy from St. Esprit, representing Trade Minister Camille de Rochevot, will be pleased to join the conference.
Shall we begin? I'd like to thank Trade Minister Camille de Rochevot and Pro Consul Carlos Marcos for coming.
I bring up the issue of the day labourers. As I'm sure you well know there has been alot of hostility over this issue. The French workers in Eutopia claim that foreigners are stealing their jobs and working for lower pay. The comments by one employer seem to somewhat confirm this. Local unions and members of the ECL have been complaining and putting pressure on the government to do something about it.
The easy solution for me would be to back these local unions. But that goes against our new policy and my internationalist values. The plight of foreign workers is just as valid as natives, and I don't endorse any sort of protectionism in this sense. However this puts me in a sticky situation as the day labourers are not members of the ECL, and many might feel it is my duty to protect the interests only of my constituents.
For this reason I would like to invite the major trade union federations of Tilapia and St. Esprit back into the ECL. Being such close neighbors and especially with CAFTA, the movement of labour across borders is unavoidable. It is inconsistent and counterproductive to keep our union associations seperate and national while trade and labor moves freely across borders. With a unified association of unions, such problems as we face now would be more easily avoided. This would allow for open discussion, and wages and benefits negotiated by the unions would be the same for craftsmen and workers of all nationalities.
I also have some questions for you. What are the working conditions like in your countries? Is there any particular reason why so many of your citizens are seeking work across the border? Right now I have a ECL department conducting research, but the numbers might take awhile.
I bring up the issue of the day labourers. As I'm sure you well know there has been alot of hostility over this issue. The French workers in Eutopia claim that foreigners are stealing their jobs and working for lower pay. The comments by one employer seem to somewhat confirm this. Local unions and members of the ECL have been complaining and putting pressure on the government to do something about it.
The easy solution for me would be to back these local unions. But that goes against our new policy and my internationalist values. The plight of foreign workers is just as valid as natives, and I don't endorse any sort of protectionism in this sense. However this puts me in a sticky situation as the day labourers are not members of the ECL, and many might feel it is my duty to protect the interests only of my constituents.
For this reason I would like to invite the major trade union federations of Tilapia and St. Esprit back into the ECL. Being such close neighbors and especially with CAFTA, the movement of labour across borders is unavoidable. It is inconsistent and counterproductive to keep our union associations seperate and national while trade and labor moves freely across borders. With a unified association of unions, such problems as we face now would be more easily avoided. This would allow for open discussion, and wages and benefits negotiated by the unions would be the same for craftsmen and workers of all nationalities.
I also have some questions for you. What are the working conditions like in your countries? Is there any particular reason why so many of your citizens are seeking work across the border? Right now I have a ECL department conducting research, but the numbers might take awhile.
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Loic de Fourgéres waits for Cornelius Dank to finish his rehearsal of his opening statement, and then makes a few comments.
"It is a good thing that the representatives of St. Esprit and Tilapia are not actually here yet, otherwise the conference would have ended as soon as it began. Allow me to go over some points.
Please think on this, I will attend to the catering and logistics, and you will be informed when the conference is ready to start.
"It is a good thing that the representatives of St. Esprit and Tilapia are not actually here yet, otherwise the conference would have ended as soon as it began. Allow me to go over some points.
- I would suggest we begin by a social occasion, such as a opening reception, with cocktails and hors d'ourves, you know finger foods, so you can meet these gentlemen informally before the business of the conference gets underway the next day. This way, if they arrive slightly late, it is no problem.
- I am here to be a facilitator, so the meeting is not seen to be run by the Eutopian Congress of Labor. If you lead off, then they will resent it and be uncooperative or simply leave. I invited these people, they know I can act as an impartial facilitator, so let me lead off. I would, after introductions, check the agenda with everyone, and then open the discussion on the first point. After every one has had a chance to speak, I would try to sum up the points of agreement and any action items on which someone should follow-up. Then I would introduce the next point on the agenda, and follow the same process, etc. until we cover the agenda. If they want to deviate from the agenda, then we won't object, but please don't let it be you in your opening statement. The first agenda item is "Union relations with multinational companies".
- I understand that the word "Eutopia" starts with a "U" sound, but if you persist in calling the "Eutopian Congress of Labour" the "UCL" you will only confuse people. It might be an idea to rename your organzation the "UPECL" for "United Provinces of Eutopia Congress of Labour", and thus leave the ECL name for the association of Labour congress that covers the island, but UPECL is an ugly acronym. I would suggest you sticking with ECL, as everyone knows it.
- If you invite them to rejoin the ECL immediately, it is certain that they won't. It will be viewed as a repeat of the stupid blunders of the inept reunifincation efforts of term 9. It just shows them that we don't 'get it'.
Please think on this, I will attend to the catering and logistics, and you will be informed when the conference is ready to start.
Of course that was just a rehearsal. I'm taking this meeting VERY seriously. Thanks for the comments and advice.
[OOC: Oops with the "UCL". I was very tired when I wrote that:wacko:. And for the record, the blunder occurring in my thought processes causing that was me thinking "U" for union.]
[OOC: Oops with the "UCL". I was very tired when I wrote that:wacko:. And for the record, the blunder occurring in my thought processes causing that was me thinking "U" for union.]
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Loic de Fourgéres contacts catering and event planning staff for upcoming Central Atlantic Labour Conference, letting them know the numbers and date (in about two weeks game time, safely after the military exercise is over). He invites a security detail from the Tilapian embassy to tour the premises.
Two Tilapian marines accompanied by a man in a black suit arrive at the conference hall, as per Loic's invitation, to inspect the premises and make sure they are safe. The marines stay silent and stoic throughout the inspection, and only the suited man speaks. When he does, it is stiff, monotone, and forced...he is apparently very very bad at interacting with others.
"Per de Fourgeres, the Ambassador thanks you for allowing us to inspect the premises. Further security will be arriving shortly before Pro Consul Marcos, and he will have a personal detail. We understand you are responsible for law enforcement in Eutopia. We trust that nothing will go wrong during the conference. We take the Pro Consul's safety very seriously."
-vS as Tilapia
"Per de Fourgeres, the Ambassador thanks you for allowing us to inspect the premises. Further security will be arriving shortly before Pro Consul Marcos, and he will have a personal detail. We understand you are responsible for law enforcement in Eutopia. We trust that nothing will go wrong during the conference. We take the Pro Consul's safety very seriously."
-vS as Tilapia
Loic smiles at the man in the black suit.
"You are too kind, as you give me a powers beyond my office. Provincial law enforcement is independent. My ministry is responsible for Federal law enforcement.
Concerning security, there have been a development that you should be aware of. A criminal, who picked the wrong vehicle to carjack, one being driven by a FLEA officer, decided to shoot himself rather than be captured. This is unusual for a local, but it turns out this guy was foreign, possibly a mercenary, enough communincation equipment back at his lair to make us believe he may have been a part of something larger. We have no indications to support this theory, but I wondered if he was hired by New Bengali separatists, to try capture or assassinate the Pro Consul when comes here in two weeks. With appropriate security he should still be safe, but we couldn't let him take the risk. If we get this run down in the next week, I will let you know, and the CALC meeting can go ahead as scheduled. If it is still an open investigation, then I will suggest an alternate venue."
"You are too kind, as you give me a powers beyond my office. Provincial law enforcement is independent. My ministry is responsible for Federal law enforcement.
Concerning security, there have been a development that you should be aware of. A criminal, who picked the wrong vehicle to carjack, one being driven by a FLEA officer, decided to shoot himself rather than be captured. This is unusual for a local, but it turns out this guy was foreign, possibly a mercenary, enough communincation equipment back at his lair to make us believe he may have been a part of something larger. We have no indications to support this theory, but I wondered if he was hired by New Bengali separatists, to try capture or assassinate the Pro Consul when comes here in two weeks. With appropriate security he should still be safe, but we couldn't let him take the risk. If we get this run down in the next week, I will let you know, and the CALC meeting can go ahead as scheduled. If it is still an open investigation, then I will suggest an alternate venue."