Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

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

The Committee notes the Government’s report. It notes, however, that a copy of the new law amending the Labour Code has not been submitted for its examination.

Article 1 of the Convention (all those engaged in agriculture have the same rights of association and combination as industrial workers). The Committee recalls that its previous comments concerned the exclusion of agricultural workers from the scope of the Labour Code of 1967 (section 186). The Committee had recalled in this regard that, under the terms of Article 1 of the Convention, the Government must secure for all those engaged in agriculture the same rights of association and combination as for industrial workers.

The Committee had previously noted that, under Law No. 51/2001 of 30 December 2001 amending the Labour Code, the exclusion of agricultural workers from the scope of the Labour Code had been dropped. In this regard, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that Law No. 51/2001 amending the Labour Code grants more explicit protection to agricultural workers. According to the Government, the provisions relating to trade unions will apply to workers in the informal sector, families that work together, and organizations in the rural sector. The Committee notes this information and requests the Government to transmit a copy of the new law amending the Labour Code as soon as it is promulgated, as well as any statistics concerning agricultural workers’ associations created after the new law had entered into force.