Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Gabon (Ratification: 1961)

Observations received from trade unions. The Committee notes the Government’s reply concerning the comments dated August 2009 from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on anti-union discrimination measures against members of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Gabon (CGSL). The Committee notes in particular that the allegations have been examined by the Committee on Freedom of Association (Case No. 2521).

The Committee notes the communication dated 4 August 2011 from the ITUC concerning, in particular, the refusal to negotiate with certain trade union confederations in the education sector. The Committee also notes the communication dated 31 August 2011 from Education International (EI), which denounces the adoption of various regulatory instruments which, according to EI, have been making the exercise of union activities in the education sector more and more difficult since 2009. EI denounces, in particular, the obligation imposed on trade unions to supply the list of their members’ names pursuant to Order No. 00269/PM/MENESRSIPPG concerning the establishment, structure and operation of the joint administrative committee for the education, training and research sectors, which, according to EI, is used for identifying union officials and keeping them under surveillance. The Committee requests the Government to send its observations on the comments of the ITUC and EI.

Article 4 of the Convention. Promotion of collective bargaining. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report concerning 11 sectors of activity covered by the collective agreements in force. The Government again states that the agreements in question must be renegotiated. The Committee further notes the records of the negotiations that took place with the National Convention of Education Sector Trade Unions (CONASYSED) in 2009 and 2011. The Committee recalls that, under the terms of Article 4 of the Convention, the authorities must take measures to promote collective bargaining. The Committee therefore requests the Government to provide information in its next report on any further developments regarding the renegotiation of sectoral collective agreements in force and also on any measures taken by the authorities to encourage and promote the voluntary negotiation of collective agreements by the social partners.