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 4, 5 and 12 November 1999, under the chairmanship of Professor Max Rood.

Pending cases

2. The Committee had before it several complaints concerning the violation of freedom of association in Colombia, presented by a number of trade union organizations (Cases Nos. 1787, 1948, 1955, 1962, 1973, 2015, 2046 and 2051) -- the last three of these having been presented since the last examination of cases on their merits concerning Colombia by the Committee in March 1999 -- and a complaint concerning the non-observance by Colombia of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), made by several Workers' delegates to the 86th Session (1998) of the Conference under article 26 of the ILO Constitution. At its meeting of March 1999, the Committee had already examined Cases Nos. 1787, 1948, 1955, 1962, 1964 and 1973 (see 314th Report, paras. 1-128, drawing interim conclusions).

3. In conformity with the decision adopted by the Governing Body at its 273rd Session (November 1998) and at its 274th Session (March 1999), the Committee submits for the Governing Body's approval a report on the pending cases (with the exception of Case No. 2046 for which it has just received a partial reply from the Government and Case No. 2051 in respect of which it has not yet received the Government's reply) and on the complaint presented under article 26 of the ILO Constitution.

Effect given to the recommendations of the Committee and the Governing Body

4. In Case No. 1925 which was the subject of a definitive report of the Committee (see 309th Report, paras. 106-119), the Government indicates, in a communication dated 27 September 1999, that it accepts that the information furnished by the company Avianca be considered as part of the Government's reply. Furthermore, the complainant, the National Union of Employees of Avianca (SINTRAVA), recently transmitted further information to the Committee. The Committee requests the Government to furnish its observations on this most recent communication of the complainant. It will examine the whole case in the framework of the follow-up given to its recommendations when it will have all the elements of the case at its disposal.