Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1996, published 85th ILC session (1997)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government's latest report.

The Committee recalls that its previous comments referred to the need to amend legislation so that restrictions on the right to strike would only be imposed in the case of essential services, meaning services the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population or in case of an acute national crisis. In particular, the Committee had noted that the banana, citrus and coconut industries were included in the schedule of essential services to the Industrial Relations Act of 1975 and that Act No. 18 of 1986 empowered the Minister to refer certain disputes to compulsory arbitration.

The Committee notes that the Government refers in its latest report to a draft Bill to amend the Industrial Relations Act prepared in 1993 with the assistance of the ILO. It notes with interest, in particular, that this Bill proposes the deletion of the above-mentioned sectors from the schedule of essential services and limits the powers of the Minister to refer a dispute to arbitration. It further notes the Government's indication that steps have been taken to submit this Bill to Parliament. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed in its next report of any developments made in amending the legislation to bring it into full conformity with the Convention.