Observación (CEACR) - Adopción: 1991, Publicación: 78ª reunión CIT (1991)

Convenio sobre la libertad sindical y la protección del derecho de sindicación, 1948 (núm. 87) - Chipre (Ratificación : 1966)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report in reply to its previous comments.

1. Right of trade unions to elect their representatives in full freedom. With reference to the comments that it has been making since 1969, the Committee notes with interest that the Government submitted to the House of Representatives in June 1990 a draft Law amending the provisions of the Act respecting trade unions which lay down that only those who are currently employed in the occupation or trade concerned can be appointed or elected to hold office in trade unions or confederations. The Committee trusts that this draft Law will be adopted in the near future and requests the Government to supply a copy of it once it has been adopted.

2. Restrictions on the right to strike. With reference to its previous comments on sections 79A and 79B of the Defence Regulations, which allow the prohibition of strikes in services declared to be essential by the Council of Ministers, the Committee notes the Government's statement that recourse is made to these provisions only in cases of essential services within the meaning of the Cyprus Constitution and the Conventions of the ILO. The Government specifies that during the period covered by its report it did not invoke section 79B of the Defence Regulations, but that recourse was made to section 79A to end a strike by dockers in Cyprus.

The Committee recalls that this latter point was one of those involved in a complaint to the Committee on Freedom of Association (Case No. 1493, 268th Report, May-June 1986). The Committee emphasises once again, as did the Committee on Freedom of Association in Case No. 1493, that in its opinion the concept of essential services in the context of international labour Conventions covers only those whose interruption would endanger the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population.

The Committee also notes with interest that, in a communication dated 14 March 1990, the Ministry of Labour announced that the Government of Cyprus was currently preparing new legislation to replace the Defence Regulations. The Committee trusts that new provisions conforming to the principles contained in the Convention will be adopted rapidly and requests the Government to keep it informed in its next report of any new developments in this respect and to supply the text of the new provisions when they are adopted.