Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98) - Papua New Guinea (Ratification: 1976)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report.

In its previous comments, the Committee has asked the Government to amend national legislation which gave the authorities discretionary power to cancel arbitration awards or declare wages agreements void when they were contrary to government policy or national interest (section 42 of the Industrial Relations Act and section 52 of the Public Service (Conciliation and Arbitration Act).

The Committee notes the Government's statement that the Department of Industrial Relations has already made a submission for a Certificate of Amendment to the state Solicitor's Office of the Department of the Attorney-General. Upon granting of this certificate, a policy submission to the competent authorities would be made towards repealing the above two provisions from the Acts respectively.

The Committee expresses the hope that the two provisions in question will be repealed in the very near future so as to bring national legislation into conformity with Article 4 of the Convention. It asks the Government to inform it of any progress made in this regard in its next report.