The complaint alleging violation of freedom of association and collective bargaining is lodged
A complaint can be lodged by any ILO constituent – a government, employers’ or workers’ organizations – against a government, whether or not the country concerned has ratified the relevant Conventions.
The government provides observations
The Office informs the government against whom the allegations are made and asks for its observations.
On-the-spot missions are possible
Recourse to preliminary contacts, direct contacts or tripartite missions may be had.
The CFA examines the complaint
The CFA considers the allegations and reaches conclusions and recommendations on the basis of consensus.
The Governing Body approves the CFA report
The Governing Body receives and normally approves the CFA report with conclusions and recommendations, sending the matter on for follow-up as appropriate.
It can take nine months or more for a case to be handled by the CFA. Steps can be taken in cases of urgency, whereby the CFA deals with the case on a priority basis, advancing the normal timeframe for the matter.
Complainants can ask that a case be treated urgently. This must be justified by information given in the complaint. Matters involving human life or personal freedom, or new or changing conditions affecting the freedom of action of a trade union movement as a whole, cases arising out of a continuing state of emergency and cases involving the dissolution of an organization, are treated as cases of urgency.
In serious and urgent cases, preliminary contacts may be established to collect preliminary information in respect of the allegations that have given rise to the complaints or to draw the attention of the authorities to ILO principles and procedures concerning freedom of association. See step “3. On-the-spot missions are possible”.
