Informe definitivo - Informe núm. 99, 1967

1. 8. The complaint of the National Federation of Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Workers is contained in a telegram dated 19 March 1967. The text of the complaint having been conveyed to the Government, the latter submitted its observations by communication dated 12 May 1967.
2. 9. Morocco has not ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); it has, however, ratified the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

A. A. The complainants' allegations

1. 10. The complainants allege that the Ministry of Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Services refused to grant leave of absence to a number of elected trade unionists, thus preventing them from attending the Second Congress of the National Federation of Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Workers, held at Rabat on 18, 19 and 20 March 1967. Although they were informed of their right to submit additional information in support of their complaint, the complainants did not take the opportunity to do so.
2. 11. In its reply the Government states that the request submitted by the National Federation of Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Workers asked for 181 agents to be given leave of absence in connection with the Federation's Second Congress. Although the administration found this request excessive, it nevertheless went thoroughly into the possibility of granting it and consulted all divisional heads on the question of how many agents under their authority could be given leave.
3. 12. Moved by a sincere desire to give trade union representatives every facility-the Government goes on to say-the administration felt able to grant leave of absence to 107 agents for three or four days depending on the case. It was however compelled by the imperative necessity of keeping an essential public service continuously in operation to refuse leave of absence where the small size of the locality and its postal service made it impossible to grant such permission. " It is obvious ", the Government states, " that the need to guarantee the permanent operation of a public service prohibits the granting of leave of absence from work to heads of post offices and employees in small towns and villages where the post office is manned by only two or three agents or even a single agent."
4. 13. The Government ends by pointing out that many agents who had received permission to be absent from work in order to attend the Congress had telegraphed that they would not take part in it.

B. B. The Committee's conclusions

1. 14. It is fairly clear from the Government's explanation that the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Administration did everything in its power to grant the necessary leave of absence for those of its agents who had been selected to represent their colleagues at the Second Congress of the complainant Federation, and refused such authorisation only in cases where the requirements of the service made it impossible to grant it.