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The Committee notes with regret that the Government's report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

In its previous comments, the Committee recalled that, under Article 3, paragraph 2, of the Convention, rural workers' organizations are to be independent and voluntary in character and to remain free from all interference, coercion or repression. The Committee noted with concern in this regard that several provisions of the Labour Code conferred prerogatives on the single trade union designated by name as "the Central Council of the DRA's Trade Unions", particularly in respect of the preparation of legislation and appointments to certain jobs (section 148(2) and section 3(4) of the Code). Furthermore, it noted that the objects of the Code included the consolidation of labour discipline and the implementation of production plans (section 1(4) of the Code).

The Committee had noted the information provided by the Government concerning the role of cooperatives generally under the Cooperative Law of 1981 and the voluntary nature of their membership, free from any form of coercion or pressure. It also duly notes that, due to the special conditions prevailing in the country, the Government has had difficulty collecting information from the concerned organizations. The Government is requested to provide, in its next report, a copy of the recent statutes of the Peasants' Cooperative Union of Afghanistan and to provide statistical information concerning the number of its members as soon as this is available.

Finally, the Committee notes that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has attracted the attention of the ILO's responsible authorities for rendering assistance for the encouragement of rural workers' organizations. The Government is requested to indicate, in its next report, any measures taken to encourage rural workers' organizations to play their role in economic and social development free from all interference of any sort as a result of this cooperation.