Gabon - 2012

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Population: 1,500,000
Capital: Libreville
Freedom of association freedom of association The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.

See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework , in theory guaranteed by law, came under attack because of the obstinacy of a handful of individuals abusing their power, as was the case in the long-running dispute between the teachers’ unions and their Minister. The trade unions called on the authorities to engage in genuine social dialogue social dialogue Discussion and co-operation between the social partners on matters of common interest, such as economic and social policy. Involves participation by the state where tripartism is practice. in all sectors and at all levels.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 111 Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)

reported violations - 2012

Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher

Background

President Ali Bongo’s Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 114 of the 120 seats in the National Assembly in December following elections boycotted by much of the opposition.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 111 Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population: 1,500,000
Capital: Libreville

reported violations- 2012

Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher

Trade union rights in law

Freedom of association freedom of association The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.

See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework and the right to strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike are guaranteed in the Constitution. However, the provisions in the Labour Code are somewhat lacking, although public servants have the right to organise. Anti-union discrimination anti-union discrimination Any practice that disadvantages a worker or a group of workers on grounds of their past, current or prospective trade union membership, their legitimate trade union activities, or their use of trade union services. Can constitute dismissal, transfer, demotion, harassment and the like.

See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework

 is not expressly prohibited in law, but the courts can award compensation to employees who have been victims of such discrimination.

The authorities are not permitted to interfere in lawful strikes, which must be preceded by arbitration arbitration A means of resolving disputes outside the courts through the involvement of a neutral third party, which can either be a single arbitrator or an arbitration board. In non-binding arbitration, the disputing parties are free to reject the third party’s recommendation, whilst in binding arbitration they are bound by its decision. Compulsory arbitration denotes the process where arbitration is not voluntarily entered into by the parties, but is prescribed by law or decided by the authorities.

See conciliation, mediation . Although workers in the public sector have the right to call a strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike , it can be restricted if deemed to pose a threat to public safety.

Additional information regarding the legislation
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 111 Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population: 1,500,000
Capital: Libreville

reported violations - 2012

Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher

In practice

Abuse of trade union rights denounced: In June, the Gabonese national trade union centres decried the lack of political will shown by the government to establish real social dialogue social dialogue Discussion and co-operation between the social partners on matters of common interest, such as economic and social policy. Involves participation by the state where tripartism is practice. , which had led to endless strikes in many sectors. They also deplored the intimidation of trade unions, accused by the authorities of being in the pay of the political parties, as well as obsolete collective agreements in the private sector, the non-implementation of agreements in the public sector and the Education Ministry’s aggressive attitude towards trade unions. The national trade union centres also called for workplace elections to be held quickly.
Oil workers up in arms: Feared by the authorities for their capacity to exert a stranglehold on the Gabonese economy heavily dependent on oil revenues, the National Organisation of Petroleum Employees (ONEP) explained the reasons for its industrial action industrial action Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer. during the year, namely the highly precarious nature of employment in the industry, the abusive and illegal use of fixed term contracts, the proliferation of sub-contractors and outdated collective agreements that no longer matched the socio-economic reality. One of ONEP’s principal demands, together with several other unions, concerned the abusive and illegal use of foreign workers who were paid up to 20 times more for the same skills. In April a four day strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike brought the country to a virtual standstill and cost the Gabonese state the equivalent of 90 million euros, according to ONEP.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 111 Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population: 1,500,000
Capital: Libreville

reported violations - 2012

Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher

Violations

Libreville Town Hall union leaders still out of work, with wages unpaid: One year after being imprisoned without trial then cleared of the charges against them, Alexandre Nzengui and Olui Nzué Memine, leaders of the Coalition of the Libreville Town Hall Unions (CCSL) had still not been reinstated in their jobs and had not received their unpaid wages. They were held in preventive detention from 22 July to 27 October 2010 for “obstructing the freedom to work” and “destruction of the real estate of a third party”. The arrests took place against a background of tense industrial relations industrial relations The individual and collective relations and dealings between workers and employers at the workplace, as well as the institutional interaction between unions, employers and also the government.

See social dialogue . The municipal employees had carried out several strikes to protest against delays in paying their salaries and the non-payment of social charges, deducted at source by the Town Hall. In April 2010, strikers had placed, in the main hall of the Town Hall, the body of a colleague who had died, they claimed, because he had not received the care he needed due to the delayed payments.
Education Minister hostile to unions : On 1 September the battle-weary National Convention of Education Trade Unions (CONASYSED) called off the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike it had begun in April. The following day the union pledged its support for nine trade union leaders as they began a hunger strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . Clémence Akele Ovono, Jules Bibang Obounou, Désiré Alfred Engone, Simon Ndong Edzo, Louis Patrick Mombo, Alain Mouagouadi, Fridolin Mve Messa, Léa Isabelle Ozoumey and Calvin Tomo Tomo had been brought before a disciplinary board in February for their role in a warning strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike that took place in October 2010 (see the 2011 edition of the Survey). Since that time their salaries had been suspended, yet they had received no official notification of the sanction. On 18 September the nine trade union leaders ended their hunger strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.

See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike after the Prime Minister promised that their salaries would be restored, despite the latest scheming by the Minister for Education, Séraphin Moundounga. In July, Education International (EI) had complained about the anti-union pressure exerted by the Minister ever since he had taken up the post in October 2009.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise (1948) 98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining (1949) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 111 Discrimination in Employment and Occupation (1958) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population: 1,500,000
Capital: Libreville

reported violations - 2012

Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher
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