Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1998, published 87th ILC session (1999)

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Zambia (Ratification: 1996)

The Committee notes the Government's first report, including the Industrial and Labour Relations (Amendment) Act, 1997 attached thereto. The Committee also takes note of the comments of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions and the Government's reply to these comments. The Committee notes with satisfaction that the Industrial and Labour Relations (Amendment) Act, 1997, amends the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, 1993, which had recognized the Zambia Congress of Labour and the Zambia Federation of Employers as the only central bodies to which trade unions and employers' organizations could affiliate. Pursuant to the recent amendments, trade unions and employers' organizations are now free to establish and join federations of their own choosing, allowing for pluralism at the federation level.

The Committee also notes that the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, as amended, excludes certain groups of workers from its scope, and also contains other provisions that are not fully compatible with the rights enshrined in the Convention. The Committee, therefore, raises particular points in a request addressed directly to the Government.