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The Committee takes note of the Government’s report. The Committee also takes note of the comments communicated by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) dated 29 October 2003 and requests the Government to transmit its observations thereon.

The Committee recalls that, in its previous comments, it had referred to the necessity of amending the Public Utility Undertakings and Public Health Services Arbitration Act (Chapter 54:01, sections 3, 12 and 19) so that compulsory arbitration in respect of a strike, liable to a fine or two months’ imprisonment, may only be used with respect to strikes in essential services in the strict sense of the term. The Committee notes that according to the Government, the Act has not yet been amended but it may now be possible to do so. The Committee trusts that the Government will take the necessary measures in the near future so as to bring the legislation into conformity with the Convention, and to ensure that the powers conferred on the authorities to resort to compulsory arbitration to bring an end to a strike are limited to strikes in services, the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report any progress made in this respect.