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The Committee notes with interest the Government's report and the clear and helpful information concerning the effect of the reform of the management of the national economy on employment. According to the information provided by the Government in its report, 1 million workers had to be transferred or placed in different jobs in the same enterprise in the first half of 1988; by the year 2000, studies show that the number of redundant workers in the material production sector will be 16 million. The Government states that the requirements aimed at guaranteeing "effective" employment, particularly for workers affected by redundancy or redeployment, have been increased considerably. The Committee notes in particular the measures adopted for this purpose in December 1987 in the areas of job creation in certain sectors of activity, the organisation of placement services, vocational guidance, vocational training and retraining, and the social guarantees and compensation measures. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information in its future reports on the implementation of this important new orientation in economic and employment policy, in accordance with the objectives of full, productive and freely chosen employment (Article 1 of the Convention). Please make particular reference to the following areas:

1. The Government states in its report that one of the material factors which have led to redundancy was the introduction in industry of new tariff rates and official salaries. The Committee refers in particular to the Law of the USSR on state enterprises (amalgamations) of 30 June 1987 and requests the Government to provide additional information on the measures taken or contemplated to implement section 14 of the above law and their effect on employment, including the measures to introduce certain flexibility in employment (part-time work, home work, rearrangement of working time).

2. In its previous direct request, the Committee noted that there was a labour surplus in the Central Asian and Trans-Caucasian republics and a labour shortage in Siberia and the far east of the country. In its last report, the Government refers to the high demand for labour required to develop infrastructures (the main Baïkal-Amur Railway (BAM)), regional growth (in Siberia and the far east of the country), rural improvement (intensive cultivation of available lands), and the service industries. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information on measures to match labour supply and demand at both occupational and geographical levels. Please provide particulars of the organisation and operation of employment services and particularly on the new placement system created by the Order of 22 December 1987.

3. The Committee takes note of the provisions of section 8 of the Law of the USSR of 30 June 1987 concerning vocational training and retraining in state enterprises (amalgamations). It also notes that dismissed workers who cannot be placed in accordance with their trade, craft or skill may obtain a new job provided they undergo retraining (section 23(2) of the above Law). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would include details of the nature of the training and retraining activities carried out by state enterprises (amalgamations), the number of workers involved and the characteristics of the retraining courses for redundant workers. More generally, the Committee notes that the report refers to the need to reorganise the whole system of training and retraining and requests the Government to provide information on developments.

4. In its previous direct request, the Committee asked the Government to describe the possible effects of the legislation concerning individual activities on employment policy. It takes note of the information contained in the Government's report in reply concerning the measures giving effect to the Law of 19 November 1986. It requests the Government to continue to provide information on this subject, stating to what extent individual and co-operative activities have served as a reserve of employment, as the Government expected. Please provide also information on the organisation of the shift system and its effects on the maintenance of employment in production enterprises.

5. The Committee notes the active role attributed to the trade unions in the areas of training, the implementation of new measures and, in particular, social guarantees. It would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information on the involvement of trade unions and the representatives of the persons concerned in the formulation and implementation of employment policies (Article 3).

6. The Committee takes note of the population data supplied by the Government. It requests the Government to provide information on the situation, level and trends of employment, both at the general level and in respect of specific categories of workers such as women, young people, the elderly and the disabled (please refer to Part VI of the report form).