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The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report on the Convention.

In its previous direct request, the Committee asked the Government to keep it informed of the progress made in adopting the Bill concerning the Rules Governing Public and Civil Service Employees, sections 91 and 93 of which do not retain the prohibition of strikes in services which pay the debts of workers employed in sowing, cultivating, maintaining or harvesting agricultural, fisheries or forestry products, where such products deteriorate as a result of not realizing their immediate profit (section 369(b) of the Labour Code, section 376(b) according to the new numbering in its revised version based on the legislative reforms up to 1996).

In this respect, the Committee notes with interest that in August 1997 the Government submitted to the Legislative Assembly a Bill prepared with the technical assistance of the ILO, which revokes the prohibition of the right to strike in the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sector (section 376(b) according to the new numbering).

The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed of any developments in relation to the approval of the draft in question and to send it a copy of the text once it has been approved.

The Committee observes that section 14(c) of the Labour Code excludes from its scope agricultural or livestock enterprises which have no more than five permanent workers. In this respect, the Committee reminds the Government that, in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention, rural workers have the right to establish organizations as they see fit and to join the organization of their choice.

The Committee requests the Government to inform it of all measures adopted to ensure that rural workers benefit from the right to organize.

The Committee notes the information on the number of agricultural trade unions at both local and federal level, and again requests the Government to inform it of the number of trade union organizations which have been set up in plantations together with their approximate number of members.

With regard to the information required on the activities conducted by rural workers' organizations designed to enable them to participate in economic and social development and to benefit from the resulting advantages, the Committee duly notes the leading role which such organizations continue to play and the scope for discussion allowing active participation in the determination of agricultural policies, both at the level of production and of social well-being.

The Government is asked to report in detail in 1999.