Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 83rd ILC session (1996)

Article 3 of the Convention. The right of workers' and employers' organizations to elect their representatives in full freedom.

The Committee, noting with regret that the Government's report contains no new information, is bound once again to recall that sections 6 and 25 of the Labour Code of 1962, which provide that members responsible for the administration or management of unions or federations must be nationals of Niger, are liable to restrict the full exercise of the right guaranteed by this Article of the Convention.

The Committee once again requests the Government to amend its legislation in the near future so that foreign workers and employers have access to trade union office, at least after a reasonable period of residence in the country (see General Survey of 1994 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, paragraph 118). The Committee recalls that the amendment envisaged, of requiring ten successive years of work in order to have access to trade union office, in no way constitutes a reasonable period and expresses the firm hope that the Government will take into account its comments when the planned revision of legislation takes place.

The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information in its next report on any progress achieved in bringing the legislation into greater conformity with the Convention.