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Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Jamaica (RATIFICATION: 1962)

The Committee notes the observations of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) received on 1 September 2016 which are of a general nature.

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

The Committee notes the observations of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) received on 1 September 2015. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this regard.

Article 2 of the Convention. Right of workers to establish and join organizations. The Committee notes the indications of the ITUC that section 6(4) of the Trade Union Act (TUA) provides that, if an application for registration of a trade union has not been made in line with the Act, or if registration of a trade union has been refused or cancelled, every member of the trade union who continues to be a member thereof, and every person who participates in any meetings or proceedings of the trade union, knowing that it is not registered under the Act, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a penalty of up to 500 Jamaican dollars. Acknowledging that the official recognition of an organization through its registration constitutes a relevant aspect of the right to organize, as it is the first measure to be taken so that organizations can fulfil their role effectively, but also recalling that the exercise of legitimate trade union activities should not be dependent upon registration and that, therefore, penalties should not be imposed upon workers for their membership and participation in an unregistered trade union, the Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to amend the legislation in this respect.

Article 3. Interference in the financial administration of a trade union. The Committee notes that the ITUC denounces that, in addition to the obligation on the treasurer to submit to the Registrar annual statements of account, audit certificates, membership lists and changes to the rules and officers of the trade union, the Registrar may, in line with section 16(2) of the TUA, at any time, request the treasurer or any trade union member to provide detailed accounts of the revenue, expenditures, assets, liabilities and funds of the trade union in respect of any specified period. Recalling that the control exercised by the public authorities over trade union finances should not normally exceed the obligation to submit periodic reports, and that the discretionary rights 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 requests the Government to take the necessary measures to restrict the Registrar’s powers in this regard.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.