Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

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

The Committee notes the Government's report. In its previous comments, the Committee had 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 in a recent development, the Department of Industrial Relations with ILO technical cooperation had undertaken a major "industrial relations policy reform" exercise. The proposed Industrial Relations Act is now going through its final stages of preparation and corrects the two provisions referred to by the Committee. The Committee expresses the hope that the two provisions in question will be repealed in the very near future so as to bring national legislation into conformity with Article 4 of the Convention.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.