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Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Dominica (RATIFICATION: 1983)

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report, due since 2013, has not been received. In light of its urgent appeal launched to the Government in 2020, the Committee proceeds with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of whatever information is at its disposal. The Committee recalls that it has been raising issues concerning the observance of the Convention in relation to certain sections of the Industrial Relations Act (Act No. 18 of 1986) concerning compulsory arbitration and which unduly restrict the right of workers’ organizations to organize their activities in full freedom and to formulate their programmes. The Government has been requested to make the following amendments to the Act: (i) exclude the banana, citrus and coconut industries as well as the port authority, from the schedule of essential services annexed to the Act, which makes it possible to stop a strike in these sectors by compulsory arbitration, and (ii) amend sections 59(1)(b) and 61(1)(c) of the Act, which empower the Minister to refer disputes to compulsory arbitration if they concerned serious issues in his or her opinion. Not having received any additional observations from the social partners, nor having at its disposal any indication of progress on these pending matters, the Committee refers to its previous observation adopted in 2011 and urges the Government to provide a full reply thereto. To this end, the Committee recalls that the Government may avail itself of the ILO’s technical assistance.

[The Government is asked to reply in full to the present comments in 2022.]