Information and recommendations for international participants on preparation for the 3rd International Automotive Workers' Conference from November 20 to 24, 2025, in Pune, India

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The International Automotive Workers' Conference is working above party lines, democratic, self-organized, and self-financed. Conference visas are required for conferences in India, but these can include an additional tourist stay. (For more information on applying for a visa, see explanation under point 2) below).

Please let us know if you are an auto worker yourself and in which company/ corporation/industry you work. Please bring proof of accreditation with you, stating whether and by which assembly, trade union, or organization you have been elected as a delegate from your country. Each country may send a delegation of 5 delegates, or 5 votes. Additional participants are welcome.

We expect an exciting event with great hospitality in Pune. We will learn about the lives and struggles of automotive workers and their families, as well as the culture of India. Delegations from around the world will meet and form friendships. International worker unity and solidarity will bring us closer together. We look forward to seeing you and to many eventful and educational days in India.

We expect your country report (5 minutes long), preferably as a PowerPoint presentation, by the first day of the conference on November 20. Please submit it in English by October 15 if possible so that translation can be arranged. Instructions can be found in the attachment.

In preparation for the corporate forums scheduled for Sunday, November 23, international cooperation should be organized. We will provide email contacts for this purpose, so please let us know as soon as possible which forum you would like to co-lead or participate in. We have also attached the proposals for preparation of country reports.

The same applies to the thematic forums, which are scheduled to take place on Friday, November 21, and Sunday, November 23, in the afternoon. So far, forums are planned on the following topics: 1) Environment/Future Mobility/Transportation 2) Trade unions, right to strike, struggle for democratic rights 3) Auto workers/Family/Sexism/Migration 4) Youth forum 5) Occupational safety/health. Further suggestions are welcome.

Volunteers support the preparation and implementation of our conference. The vast majority of the volunteers come from India.

The International Coordination Group (ICOG) has set up a Multilateral Assistance Staff (MAS) with 16 teams as the organizational staff. They organize registration and accreditation, transportation from the airport to Pune and back, accommodation of various standards and prices, catering during the conference, financial support for the conference, etc. Staff from your countries are also welcome to join the teams, e.g., as translators or in the culture team.

The ICOG is available at any time to answer questions, receive comments, and address concerns at contact@iawc.info.

1) Please register directly at registration@iawc.info or online via our website www.automotiveworkers.org. After confirming your registration, please transfer the conference fee to ICOG in advance, quoting your participant number: Account number: Erwin Dietrich IBAN DE58 7001 0080 0349 3138 02.

The fee is usually €120 for participants from Europe and North America and €40 for participants from India, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

2) Visa applications can be submitted directly via the government website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in . The necessary documents (personal invitation and approval notice) will be sent to you by our registration team.

When applying online for a conference visa, several documents must be uploaded: a copy of your passport (which must be valid for six months from the date of application for the visa) and a passport photo. In addition, you will need the personal invitation from the organizer, stating your full name and passport number, and the conference approval document, which everyone will receive from the ICOG and SEM after registration (stating their name and passport number). You will also be asked for your arrival and accommodation address (hotel) and contact details in India (this is the telephone number on the invitation letter).

Online applicants will receive their visa as a file, which must be printed in color and carried with their passport.

3) Flight booking: We recommend arriving no later than November 19, 12 noon (Indian local time), preferably to Mumbai. The journey from Mumbai airport to Pune takes about 4 hours and will be organized by the MAS team, otherwise you can arrange your own transport via ride-hailing services such as Uber. The trip costs approximately 12 euros per person. Delegates from Africa, Latin America, and Asia can apply to the ICOG for a subsidy for one delegate, with a minimum contribution of 10 percent.

After the conference, the ICOG and SEM are offering a sightseeing program on November 25/26 to get to know the country and people in Pune and the surrounding area.

The travel agency people-to-people.de is offering a connecting trip after the conference with a return flight from Kolkata on Friday, December 5, 2025. There is also the option of continuing on to the theoretical seminar of the World Women's Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, from November 27 to 30.

4) Accommodation: The accommodation team is compiling a list of possible places to stay near the venue, with different standards and prices, which will be sent to participants by the registration team. Participants should then book themselves or together with their delegation, quoting “Participant in the International Automotive Workers' Conference”. Payment is to be made by the participants at the accommodation.

5) Meals, health, hygiene: The conference fee includes one meal per day (simple lunch or dinner). Additional varied and affordable meal options will be organized by the catering team and paid for directly.

Pune is a modern city with generally adequate hygiene standards. Nevertheless, we recommend that you do not drink tap water, avoid fresh salads and unpeeled fruit, and do not consume meat or fish sold on the street.

The climate in Pune is pleasant, with maximum temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius during the day, minimum temperatures of 15 degrees at night, and hardly any rain. Hotels usually have air conditioning and most offer a generous breakfast from mid-range standard upwards.

Further information:

- If you want to use your smartphone in India, you can connect to accessible hotspots and Wi-Fi in many places, e.g. in hotels, otherwise you will incur high charges. An inexpensive SIM card for direct dial-up in India can best be purchased at the airport or as an e-SIM online. In India, smartphones can be used almost everywhere and are widely used for everything, especially for digital payments.

- In India, payment transactions are largely digitized and cashless. Card payments are usually possible via Mastercard, Visa, or PayPal. Cash can be exchanged for rupees at a few exchange offices. The import and export of Indian rupees is not permitted.

- Safety and vigilance: Money, valuables, and personal documents should always be kept safe. It is advisable to carry copies of important documents separately and to store a copy on your smartphone and the internet in case of loss or theft.

- Language and communication: Marathi is spoken in Pune in the state of Maharashtra; it is related to the national language Hindi. The other national language, English, is generally understood everywhere. Many young educated people in the university city of Pune speak perfect English.

- We respect the traditional culture and lifestyle habits of the people of India. Today's Pune has grown out of a center of Hinduism (ancient Poona) and nationalist Indian roots, which shape the city and its people. There are many temples, castles, and museums here, such as the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial and parks. At the same time, Pune is a vibrant and rapidly growing modern city with a metro system and heavy traffic. Poverty and wealth exist side by side. Pune is an international center for the automotive and supplier industry. Politically, we observe the rightward development in India. At the same time, a growing self-confidence and organization among automotive workers is developing here. We appreciate and respect hospitality and strengthen international ties and solidarity. Greetings are usually contactless. The typical Indian greeting consists of placing the palms of the hands together in front of the chest. This is accompanied by saying “Namasté” – hello, which can be said at any time of the day or night and even when saying goodbye. Only the right hand is used for eating or passing food, as the left hand is considered “dirty”. Do not point at others with your feet or fingers.

For exchanges and celebrations, we recommend preparing your own cultural contributions, such as song lyrics, instruments, information and promotional material, handicrafts, or similar items.