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The Committee notes 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 reads as follows:

  Article 3, paragraph 2, of the Convention.  In its previous comments, the Committee drew the Government’s attention to the need to take the appropriate measures to introduce into the national legislation a formal provision requiring an X-ray film of the lungs on the occasion of the initial medical examination for employment or work underground in mines of persons under 21 years of age and, when regarded as medically necessary, on the occasion of subsequent re-examinations.

In its latest report, the Government states that the Franceville Uranium Mining Company (COMUF), which is the only enterprise engaging staff (principally persons over 21 years of age) in underground mines, provides effective protection for the staff working in underground galleries. The Committee notes the Government’s statement and recalls that national law has to be brought into conformity with the Convention so that statutory law reflects the practice described above.

The Committee hopes that a provision laying down, in accordance with this provision of the Convention, the requirement to carry out an X-ray film of the lungs on the occasion of the initial medical examination of workers under 21 years of age and, when regarded as medically necessary, on the occasion of subsequent re-examinations, will be included in one of the sets of regulations that have to be adopted under section 220 (a special order to determine the specific occupational health rules applicable to mining enterprises) and section 221 (a decree to determine the conditions under which initial medical examinations, periodical examinations, re-examinations and supplementary examinations shall be carried out) of the new Labour Code (Act No. 3/94 of 21 November 1994). The Committee hopes that these texts will be adopted in the near future and requests the Government to provide their copies.

With reference to its previous direct request, the Committee once again requests the Government to transmit a copy of the collective labour agreement for mining and allied enterprises which is currently in force.