Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Guinea-Bissau (Ratification: 1977)

The Committee notes the Government’s report.

1. Article 4. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government on developments regarding the Bill to revise the General Labour Act, Title 6 of which contains provisions on collective bargaining, and on the imminent adoption of the Bill. The Committee also notes the establishment of a Permanent Council for Social Dialogue. The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed on these matters.

2. The Committee notes the collective agreement in the banking sector and the enterprise agreement in the telecommunication sector sent by the Government. It asks the Government to indicate whether these are the only agreements in force and, if not, to provide information in its next report on the collective agreements in force and their scope.

3. Article 6. The Committee noted previously the Government’s statement that all public servants and officials of the public administration were covered by the Public Administration Personnel Regulations (Decree No. 12 A/94). Section 65 of the above Decree provides that public servants may join trade union associations in accordance with the conditions prescribed by law. The Government also indicated that, under the same provision and section 43 of the Freedom of Association Act (establishing that the Act applies in the absence of special legislation on freedom of association in central, regional or local public administration and public service institutions), public servants were entitled to bargain collectively since section 16 of the Freedom of Association Act confers this right on them. The Committee again asks the Government to keep it informed of the special provisions which, according to section 2(2) of the Freedom of Association Act are to regulate the right to collective bargaining of public servants not engaged in the administration of the State. The Committee also asks the Government to indicate collective agreements signed in this sector pursuant to section 43 of the Freedom of Association Act.