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The Committee has taken note of the communication from the Trades Union Congress addressed to the Secretary of State for Employment on 19 December 1991, a copy of which was sent to the International Labour Office. By a letter of 10 January 1992 the Office informed the Government that, in accordance with established practice, that communication, as well as any comments that the Government might wish to make on the points raised therein, would be brought to the attention of the Committee of Experts at the March 1992 Session. According to the communication, the General Council of the Trades Union Congress is firmly opposed to the Asylum Bill which, if enacted, would abandon the basic right of equal treatment under the law for all residents, and to the proposal to denounce Convention No. 97 and Article 19.4(c) of the European Social Charter.

With regard to Convention No. 97 the General Council points out that the Convention is concerned with protecting the basic rights of immigrants and that, as the Government itself has taken pains to point out, asylum-seekers are not immigrants. The Trades Union Congress considers that, before taking any decision, it would be sensible to check with the Office whether the measures proposed in the Asylum Bill have a bearing on the application of the Convention.

The Committee notes that the Government has made no comment on the points raised in this communication. It hopes that the Government will be in a position to ask the Office for technical advice before taking a final decision concerning the denunciation of that Convention.