Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Mauritius (Ratification: 1969)

Article 6 of the Convention. Collective bargaining in the public sector. As regards the public sector, the Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report under the Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154), consultations are held by the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) in the context of the review of pay, grading structures and other conditions of service with federations and trade unions; and discussions and negotiations on general terms and conditions of employment as reviewed by PRB are carried out centrally at the Ministry of Civil Service and Administrative Reform with the three federations of civil service unions; but no agreements are signed. The Committee also notes the statement of the Worker member of Mauritius at the Conference Committee in 2016, according to which: (i) collective bargaining does not exist at all in the public sector; and (ii) while the salaries of public servants are decided unilaterally by the PRB, a body established by the Government, conditions of service are determined at bipartite meetings between the Ministry of Civil Service and the PRB, without faithful and meaningful tripartite negotiations. The Committee recalls that under this Convention the establishment of simple consultation procedures for public servants who are not engaged in the administration of the State (such as employees in public enterprises, municipal employees and those in decentralized entities, public sector teachers etc.), instead of real collective bargaining procedures, is not sufficient. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the manner in which collective bargaining takes place in the case of public servants other than those engaged in the administration of the State.