Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1991, published 78th ILC session (1991)

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Côte d'Ivoire (Ratification: 1960)

The Committee refers to its previous comments concerning the need to amend section 183 of the Labour Code, which gives the President of the Republic excessive powers to submit an industrial relations dispute to compulsory arbitration in order to bring an end to a strike. The Committee noted in its previous observations that a draft amendment to this section had been prepared which would restrict the powers in question to the cases in which it is admissible to end or prohibit a strike in accordance with the principles of freedom of association, namely: where the strike affects an essential service, the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population; where the strike is called by public officials acting in their capacity as agents of the public authorities; or during an acute national crisis.

The Committee notes from the information supplied by the Government in its latest report that, once the amendment has been agreed to by the social partners and the permanent committee of the Labour Commission, it will be submitted to the Labour Commission within the framework of the general reform of the Labour Code that is currently under way.

In these circumstances, the Committee once again hopes that the new version of section 183 of the Labour Code, which is in conformity with the principles of freedom of association, will be adopted in the very near future and it requests the Government to indicate in its next report all progress made in this respect.