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The Committee takes note of the Government's reports.

With reference to section 6 of the Labour Code of 1962, the Committee notes that the members responsible for the administration and management of a professional union must be nationals of Niger and that this provision applies to union federations, in accordance with section 25 of the Labour Code.

The Committee wishes to draw the Government's attention to paragraphs 159 and 160 of its General Survey of 1983 on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining and, in particular, to Article 3 of the Convention which guarantees the right of workers' organisations to elect their representatives in full freedom. In the Committee's view, statutory provisions that confine the exercise of trade union functions to nationals of the country are liable to restrict the full exercise of this right.

The Committee would be grateful if the Government would envisage adopting measures to make the legislation more flexible so that foreign workers have access to trade union offices, at least after a reasonable period of residence in the country.