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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It must therefore repeat its observation of 1998, which read as follows:

The Committee notes the Government’s report and the information that it contains in reply to its previous direct request. It also notes the comments made by the Free Federation of Energy, Mining and Allied Enterprises (FLEEMA) and the Gabonese Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CGSL).

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report on the consultations held on each of the points set out in Article 5, paragraph 1, of the Convention. It notes in particular that, in accordance with point (b) of the above paragraph, the Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177), as well as various instruments adopted at the last Maritime Session of the International Labour Conference, have been submitted to the competent authority or authorities. Noting that the FLEEMA, in its comments, alleges that the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176), and Recommendation No. 183 have not been submitted to the competent authority, the Committee wishes to recall on this point that it stated in its 1982 General Survey (paragraph 109) that the Convention goes beyond the obligation to submit stipulated in article 19 of the ILO Constitution and requests the Government to consult the representative organizations before finalizing the proposals to be submitted to the competent authority or authorities in relation to the Conventions and Recommendations which have to be submitted to them. In the light of these explanations, the Government is requested to make the comments that it considers appropriate on the observations of the FLEEMA.

Finally, with regard to the application of Article 6, the Committee notes the Government’s reply to the observation made by the Gabonese Confederation of Free Trade Unions alleging the absence of consultations on the appropriateness of issuing an annual report on the working of the procedures provided for in the Convention. The Government states that budgetary restrictions have prevented the establishment of a tripartite consultation body for the purposes set out in the Convention, which has been the major contributing factor to this situation. The Committee requests it to provide information in future reports on any development relating to this subject and hopes that such consultations will be held in the near future.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.