Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2010, publiée 100ème session CIT (2011)

Article 2 of the Convention. In its previous comments, the Committee invited the Government to provide information on the number of trade unions (including the number of affiliated workers) and employers’ organizations existing in the country. The Committee notes that the Government indicates in its report that there are currently two trade unions in the country, St Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union and St Kitts and Nevis Teachers Union with respectively 500 and 450 affiliated members; and three employers’ organizations, St Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Manufacturing Division, St Kitts and Nevis Hotel and Tourism Association and St Kitts and Nevis Contractors’ Association.

Article 3. Right of workers’ and employers’ organizations to organize their administration. In its previous comments, the Committee had noted that section 33(2) of the Trade Unions Act provides that “the Registrar may at any time by order in writing require the treasurer or any other officer of a trade union to deliver to him, by a date to be specified in such order, detailed accounts of the revenue, expenditure, assets, liabilities and funds of the trade union in respect of any period specified in such order, and any accounts so rendered shall include such details and information and be supported by such documents as the Registrar in any case may require”. The Committee had recalled that the control exercised by the public authorities over trade union finances should not normally exceed the obligations to submit periodic reports and that the discretionary right of the authorities to carry out inspections and request information at any time entails a danger of interference in the internal administration of trade unions. The Committee had requested the Government to take the necessary measures so as to amend section 33(2) of the Trade Unions Act, in conformity with this principle. The Committee notes that the Government indicates that consideration of this request will be given by the competent authority and that notice of the competent authority’s action will be forwarded to the Committee as soon as it becomes available. In these circumstances, the Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report information on any measure taken in this regard.