Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Belize (Ratification: 1983)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report.

In its previous comments, the Committee had recalled the need to amend the Settlement of Disputes (Essential Services) Act of 1939, as amended by Ordinances Nos. 57, 92, 51 and 32 in 1973, 1981, 1988 and 1994, respectively, which empowered the authorities to refer a collective dispute to compulsory arbitration, to prohibit a strike or to terminate a strike in such services as postal, monetary, financial and revenue-collecting services, transport services (civil aviation) and services in which petroleum products are sold, which are not essential services in the strict sense of the term.

The Committee notes with interest from the Government’s report that Ministerial Order No. 117 of 1998 has repealed Ordinance No. 32 of 1994 pursuant to which revenue services were included in the list of essential services. The Committee also notes that according to the Government, at present there is no list, as the Settlement of Disputes (Essential Services) Act was last amended in 1998.

As the 1998 repeal order only appears to deal with the question of the essential nature of revenue services, the Committee requests the Government to confirm that the abovementioned Ordinances, in so far as they concern the restriction of strike action for workers in the postal, monetary, transport (civil aviation), and petroleum sectors, are no longer in force and to provide copies of the relevant repealing orders.