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The Committee notes the Government’s report.

The Committee recalls that in its previous comment, it requested the Government to provide information concerning collective bargaining in the rural sector, as well as any available statistical data concerning the number of rural employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as the unionization rates among rural workers employed on a regular or seasonal basis. In this respect, the Committee notes that the Government indicates that: (1) the Federation of Agricultural Employers (FAE) and the Wood and Allied Workers Union (WAWU) have concluded a collective agreement for the rural industries which shall apply to the employment relationships between the affiliate associations of the FAE engaged in rural industries and the workers employed by these; (2) in 2003, the FAE had 723 companies as its affiliates complying with the generally binding collective agreement for the rural industries and they employed 5,326 workers; and (3) the WAWU had 696 members who were within the scope of the collective agreement for rural industries.

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The Committee notes the information provided by the Government and in particular the adoption of the Employment Contracts Act (No. 55/2001) which provides that privately negotiated employment contracts must observe as a minimum the provisions of generally applicable collective agreements (section 7 of Chapter II). The Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report the text of the generally applicable collective agreement in the rural sector, if such an agreement exists, as well as any available statistical data concerning the number of rural employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as the unionization rates among rural workers employed on a regular or seasonal basis.