Introduction

1. The Committee on Freedom of Association, set up by the Governing Body at its 117th Session (November 1951), met at the International Labour Office, Geneva, on 20, 21 and 25 May 1993 under the chairmanship of Mr. Jean-Jacques Oechslin, former Chairman of the Governing Body.

2. The Committee had before it various complaints of violations of freedom of association in El Salvador, presented by a number of international and national trade union organizations (Cases Nos. 1273, 1441/1494 and 1524).

3. On several occasions the Governing Body asked the Government to give its consent that a representative of the Director-General visit El Salvador to carry out a study of the facts relating to the complaints, within the context of the direct contacts procedure.

4. At the March 1993 Session, the Government had not yet given a positive response to the direct contacts mission nor to the allegations concerning these cases. In these circumstances, the Committee recommended that if no reply was received from the Government prior to its next meeting, wider publicity should be given to the Committee's report.

5. Since then, no reply has been received from the Government. The Committee submits for the approval of the Governing Body a further report on this matter and recommends that it examine this report at its 256th Session.