Definitive Report - Report No 116, 1970

Case No 556 (Morocco) - Complaint date: 12-AUG-68 - Closed

1. 25. This case has already been considered by the Committee at its session in May 1969, when it submitted to the Governing Body an interim report contained in paragraphs 148-157 of its 112th Report; the latter was approved by the Governing Body at its 175th Session, (Geneva, May 1969).

A. A. The complainants' allegations

1. 26. It was alleged that the management of the Moroccan Phosphates Agency had ended the arrangement whereby union delegates were allowed time off for union business, and that this constituted an anti-union measure. The complainants also alleged that, in order to crush the strike launched in protest against this measure, the authorities committed acts of intimidation, such as the occupation of the trade union premises and the arrest of workers.
2. 27. As regards the first allegation the Committee, having studied the observations submitted to it by the Government, formulated its final conclusions for the Governing Body, which approved them.
3. 28. As regards the second allegation, the Committee noted that the Government, in its reply, had made no reference to it and recommended the Governing Body to request the Government to furnish its observations thereon.
4. 29. This recommendation having been approved by the Governing Body, the relevant request was brought to the notice of the Moroccan Government by a letter dated 5 June 1969, to which the Government replied by a communication dated 4 November 1969.
5. 30. In its communication, the Government stated that it had instituted an inquiry into the facts alleged and stated that the competent national departments " have informed us that it was not possible to determine which facts the Moroccan Federation of Labour was referring to and that, to their knowledge, no injunction had been issued, nor had any arrest or occupation of premises taken place during the strike which occurred at the Moroccan Phosphates Agency ".
6. 31. Whereas the complainants allege that arrests took place during the strike at the Moroccan Phosphates Agency and that trade union premises had been occupied, the Government states that the inquiry it instituted gave no confirmation that such events had taken place. The Committee is now faced with two contradictory versions of the facts.

B. B. The Committee's conclusions

1. 32. The Committee notes nevertheless that the allegations of the complainants are not backed up by any specific information such, for example, as the names of those said to have been arrested.

The Committee's recommendations

1. 33. In these circumstances, taking into account the fact that the complainants have not taken advantage of the possibility offered to them of submitting further information in support of their complaint, which was in the form of a telegram, the Committee, in considering that the complainants have provided no evidence for what they maintained, recommends the Governing Body to decide that this aspect of the matter and the case as a whole call for no further examination on its part.