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The Committee notes the Government's indication in the report that the Minimum Wage Board appointed to set minimum wages has not been operational since 1984. The Government refers to the high rate of inflation which would render any recommended minimum wage obsolete within a short time, and to structural adjustment programmes, as reasons for the difficulty. It further states that a minimum wage has been directly negotiated between workers and employers and that, according to available information, most establishments or industries are capable of paying a higher minimum compared to that in the government sector.

The Committee notes the above information. It recalls that by ratifying this Convention, a member State undertakes to create or maintain a minimum wage fixing machinery for workers in certain of the trades or parts of trades "in which no arrangements exist for the effective regulation of wages by collective agreement or otherwise and wages are exceptionally low" (Article 1(1) of the Convention).

The Committee also refers to paragraphs 428 and 429 of its General Survey of 1992 on Minimum Wages, in which it indicated that the fundamental objective of the instruments examined was to ensure to workers a minimum wage that would provide a satisfactory standard of living for them and their families, and that this objective should constantly be borne in mind, in particular, when structural adjustment programmes are being applied.

The Committee requests the Government to indicate any measures taken or contemplated to re-establish or create a minimum wage fixing machinery in accordance with the requirements of the Convention, and to provide information on the consultation and participation of the employers' and workers' organizations in this regard.