GENEVA (ILO News) - Meeting in Geneva today, the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) elected as Chairman of its 1999-2000 Session, Mr. Jean-Jacques Elmiger, Ambassador, representative of the Government of Switzerland. He replaces Mr. Nobutoshi Akao, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Government of Japan in Geneva, who served as Chairman during the 1998-99 Session.

Mr. Elmiger is the Head of the International Affairs Department in the Swiss Federal Office for Economic and Labour Affairs and has represented Switzerland as a government delegate to the International Labour Conference since 1986. He was a member of the transition team of the newly-elected ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. Mr. Elmiger is also the political coordinator for the organization of the follow-up meeting to the World Social Summit in Geneva, which will be held in June 2000.

The re-elected employer vice-chairman is Mr. Rolf Thüsing, of Germany, who is a member of the Executive Board of the Confederation of German Employers Associations. The re-elected worker vice-chairman is Mr. William Brett (United Kingdom) who is a Member of the General Council of the United Kingdom's Trade Union Council.

The three will serve as Officers of the Governing Body during its 1999-2000 Session. The Governing Body is the executive council of the ILO and meets three times annually in Geneva. It takes decisions on policy and establishes the programme and budget of the 174 member State Organization. The Conference elected the new members of the ILO Governing Body on 7 June. The period of office of the Governing Body is three years. Elections were held to select the 18 governments which have elective seats ⁽¹⁾ and the 14 employer and 14 worker members of the Governing Body. Ten out of the total of 56 members of the Governing Body are appointed by member States of chief industrial importance holding permanent seats. ⁽²⁾

The ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association also met today at the Headquarters of the ILO to examine cases of non-respect of workers right to organize. ⁽³⁾ The Committee, which has 78 cases pending before it, examined 23 cases on their merits, reaching definitive conclusions in 13 cases and interim conclusions in 10. It cited progress in enforcing respect for workers right to organize in Indonesia and Nigeria.

Indonesia - This case which had first been examined by the Committee in March 1995, concerned very serious allegations of violations of trade union rights relating to the denial of workers' right to establish organizations of their own choosing, the persistent interference by government authorities, the military and employers in trade union activities, and restrictions on collective bargaining and strike action. However, the Committee was able to note with interest that a series of measures had been taken by the Indonesian authorities over the past year which constitutes significant progress with regard to freedom of association in Indonesia. The Committee trusted that this progress would continue and enable the industrial relations system prevailing in Indonesia to be brought fully in line with freedom of association principles.

Nigeria - In view of the substantial progress noted by the supervisory bodies as regards the trade union situation in Nigeria, the Governing Body decided to discontinue the procedure that it initiated, under article 26(4) of the ILO Constitution. This procedure provided for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry on the question of the effective observance by Nigeria of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

Three other cases the Committee examined fully on their merits were those of Canada, China and Ethiopia.

Canada (Ontario) - The allegations in this case concerned denial of the right of school principals and vice-principals to organize, bargain collectively and strike. The Committee drew up interim conclusions in this case and requested the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that school principals and vice-principals could form and join the organization of their own choosing and could enjoy effective protection against anti-union discrimination and employer interference. In another case presented against Canada (Ontario), the allegations related to legislation which deprived the workers concerned of the fundamental rights to join organizations of their own choosing, bargain collectively or strike, in the context of participation in community participation programmes. The Committee emphasized that universality of the principle of freedom of association and recalled that all workers, without distinction whatsoever, must have the right to organize. The Committee therefore requested the Government to take the necessary measures to amend its legislation relating to community participation activities and to extend to persons involved in such activities the right to organize.

China - The allegations in this case concerned violations of the basic civil liberties of trade unionists as well as their detention and the harassment of family members of trade unionists. The Committee concluded that several provisions of national legislation were contrary to the fundamental principles concerning the right of workers without distinction whatsoever to form and join organizations of their own choosing and the right of trade unions to establish their constitutions, organize their activities and formulate their programmes. The Committee urged the Government to ensure that several provisions of its legislation were amended in this respect. The Committee also urged the Government to ensure the immediate release of several trade union leaders.

Ethiopia - The Committee recalled very serious allegations of violations of freedom of association, in particular government interference with the functioning of the Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA) and "killing, arrest, detention, harassment, dismissal and transfer of ETA members and officials". The Committee also deplored the fact that Dr. Woldesmiate, ETA President, was detained for two months before charges were laid and that he has remained in detention since May 1996, that is to say for three years, without being brought to trial. It strongly urged the Government to take the measures necessary to secure the immediate release of Dr. Woldesmiate, and to inform the Committee on action taken in this regard.

1 Algeria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Croatia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Namibia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.

2 Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States.

3 316 ^th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association (GB.275/4/1) and Report of the Officers of the Governing Body (GB.275/8/2), 275 ^th Session. International Labour Office, Geneva, June 1999.