Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Article 1(a), (c) and (d) of the Convention.  Over a number of years, the Committee has been referring to the following legislation:

(i)  the Public Order and Security Act, No. 20 of 1967, empowering the executive to restrict an individual’s association or communication with others, independently of the commission of any offence and subject to penalties involving compulsory labour;

(ii)  sections 54(2)(c), 55, 56 and 56A of the Penal Code, empowering the Minister to declare any combination of two or more persons an unlawful society and thus render any speech, publication or activity on behalf of or in support of such combination illegal and punishable with imprisonment (involving an obligation to perform labour);

(iii)  section 16(1)(a) of the Trade Disputes (Arbitration and Settlement) Act, 1964, under which workers employed in "essential services" may be prohibited from terminating their contract of service, even by notice; sections 16, 17 and 20A of the same Act, under which strikes may be prohibited in various services that, while including those generally recognized as essential ones, also extend to other services, and contravention of these prohibitions is punishable with imprisonment (involving an obligation to perform labour).

The Committee has noted the Government’s repeated statement in its reports that the labour legislation has been revised to enhance the application of the Convention, but the revised legislation is still in the form of a draft Bill. It also notes the Government’s indication in its latest report that the revision of the legislation (Labour Law Reform Project) is going on under the ILO/UNDP consultancy, and that a technical report is expected by the end of November 2000. The Committee expresses firm hope that a Bill to repeal or revise the abovementioned provisions will be adopted in the near future and that the legislation will be brought into conformity with the Convention. It requests the Government to provide information on the progress made in this regard and to communicate a copy of the revised legislation as soon as it is adopted.