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The Committee notes the discussion that took place at the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards in June 1999.

The Committee notes with regret that the Government's report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its previous observation on the following matters:

1. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government's statement that section 15 of the Industrial Relations Act (IRA), which limits the scope of collective agreements for companies granted "pioneer status", is in the process of being amended and that a copy of the repealing legislation will be forwarded to the ILO as soon as it is passed by Parliament. The Committee recalls however that the Government has been referring to "positive measures to repeal section 15" since 1994, and would therefore request it to ensure that section 15 of the IRA is repealed shortly, and to provide a copy of the repealing legislation as soon as it is adopted. 2. The Committee had also referred to the restrictions on collective bargaining contained in section 13(3) of the IRA, with regard to certain matters known as internal management prerogatives (i.e. transfer, dismissal and reinstatement). The Committee considered that issues such as transfer, dismissal and reinstatement should not be excluded from the scope of collective bargaining. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate, in its next report, the steps taken or envisaged to bring section 13(3) of the IRA into conformity with Article 4 of the Convention. 3. In relation to the Committee's comments on certain restrictions on the right to bargain collectively for public servants other than those engaged in the administration of the State (section 52 of the IRA), the Committee would once again request the Government to provide specific information on how collective bargaining is encouraged and promoted in practice between public employers and public servants other than those engaged in the administration of the State, for example, by supplying information on the number of collective agreements concluded, the different categories and numbers of employees covered, the number of public sector unions acting as bargaining agents, etc.

The Committee asks the Government to provide information on all these points in its next report.