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

Right of Association (Agriculture) Convention, 1921 (No. 11) - Rwanda (Ratification: 1962)

With reference to its previous comments concerning section 186 of the Labour Code, which provides that agricultural workers shall be covered by special provisions contained in a special Act and therefore excluded from the scope of the Labour Code, the Committee notes the Government's statement that, despite section 186 of the Labour Code, those engaged in agriculture have always in practice enjoyed the same rights of association and combination as industrial workers. It notes with interest that a first-level trade union for workers in agriculture, animal rearing and forestry (the constituent by-laws of which are attached to the report) was established within the Rwandan Workers' Trade Union Confederation on 27 December 1989.

With regard to the draft Legislative Decree to revise the Labour Code, which repeals section 186, the Government states that the competent authorities have now opted for a progressive revision of the law which gives priority to urgent cases, instead of the total revision that was previously envisaged in the above draft text. The Committee points out that this draft text has been under discussion since 1978 and that there would not appear to be major difficulties in bringing the Labour Code into conformity with the Convention - and with current practice in Rwanda - and it trusts that the appropriate amendments will be made rapidly to the Labour Code in order to secure to all those engaged in agriculture the same rights of association and combination as to industrial workers. The Committee requests the Government to supply a copy once it has been adopted.