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1. The Committee notes the report provided by the Government in August 2004 and the comments supplied by the Confederation of Trade Unions of the Slovak Republic (KOZ SR) in September 2004.

2. It also notes the discussion on the application of the Convention in the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 92nd Session (June 2004) of the Conference. The Conference Committee hoped that the Government would be in a position to state in its report that the difficulties encountered in the labour market in Slovakia were being overcome and that, in particular, a more balanced regional development was being achieved, with employment created in rural areas and responses found to the specific needs of the most vulnerable workers, namely youth and the Roma population.

3. The Government indicates in its report that there has been a rising employment trend in the labour market accompanied by a decline in unemployment. From the regional aspect, the employment rate increased in all the regions - the difference between regions with the highest and the lowest employment rates declined by two percentage points. In 2003, the decline in the employment rate of young people gradually came to a halt. The Committee notes that, in spite of the positive economic growth, the employment rate in Slovakia (63.3 per cent for men and 52.2 per cent for women) remains low in relation with the European Union goals. The unemployment rate declined from 17.5 to 15.19 per cent, but remains very high for youth (34.5 per cent) and for long-term unemployment (11.1 per cent). The estimated unemployment rate of the Roma minority is extremely high, close to 70 per cent, and almost 100 per cent in the segregated settlements. Regional disparities remain considerable and are mainly caused by the Bratislava region, where strong performance seems to be in striking contrasts with the rest of the country.

4. The Government further indicates in its report that measures were taken to reduce the differences between individual regions, including financial incentives under the new Employment Services Act. The Government lists the allocations provided by the European Social Fund for individual national projects (for the support of the unemployed persons with an emphasis on the long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups on the labour market, some €26 million were allocated; for the employment of people with disabilities, some €9 million; for training of unemployed persons, some €10 million and for the reintegration to labour market of the long-term unemployed, some €12.5 million). In this regard, the Committee recalls that, as required by the Convention, success in employment creation is linked to the successful coordination of macroeconomic policies as well as structural policies. It therefore asks the Government to report in detail on how employment policy measures are reviewed regularly within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy. In particular, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on the results and progress achieved with the implementation of the measures envisaged by the National Action Plan for Employment for the period 2004-06, including information on the employment situation of socially vulnerable groups such as young persons, women jobseekers, long-term unemployed and workers with disabilities. The Committee further requests the Government to include, in its next report, disaggregated data on the level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment. Please also indicate the measures taken to reduce labour market differentials in the country (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).

5. Equal opportunities for the Roma minority. In reply to previous comments, the Government states that since the number of registered jobseekers from the Roma minority was not monitored statistically, it is impossible to indicate their participation in programmes implemented in the labour market. The Government further indicates that Act No. 5/2004 on employment services regulates the rights and duties of citizens in the field of employment based on civil principles and not ethnic, religious or other principles. The system integrated into the Employment Services Act is aimed at the reduction of direct and indirect discrimination in access to employment. The Committee recalls that an employment policy, in conformity with Convention No. 122, must aim at ensuring freedom of choice of employment and the fullest possible opportunity in employment and training, in particular for vulnerable groups like the Roma minority (Article 1, paragraph 2(c). See also paragraph 109 of the General Survey of 2004 on promoting employment). The Committee therefore requests the Government to also include in its next report detailed information on the effectiveness of the measures taken and the placement on the labour market of the beneficiaries of the active labour measures designed for disadvantaged jobseekers such as those of the Roma minority.

6. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee notes the comment made the by KOZ SR indicating that trade unions and employers have been excluded from the active participation in dialogue which should take place in the context of the Council of Economic and Social Agreement (CESA). The KOZ SR indicates that the critical opinions of the social partners in relation to important social and economic matters were unacceptable for the Government. The KOZ SR refused to be a part of the formal evaluation of the NEP for 2003 and hopes that the Government will avoid the same mistakes with regard to the implementation of the NEP for 2004-06. The Conference Committee had urged the Government to renew its efforts to strengthen social dialogue on employment policy, as the participation of the social partners in the formulation of employment policy and in securing support for the achievement of the objective of full employment was an essential requirement of this priority Convention. The Committee recalls that Article 3 of the Convention provides that, the measures to be taken in relation to employment policy should take fully into account the experience and views of the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations with a view to securing their full cooperation in formulating and implementing employment policies. Governments and representative organizations of employers and workers share responsibility for ensuring that representatives of the more vulnerable or marginalized sectors of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (see General Survey, op. cit., paragraph 493). The Committee, in the same way as the Conference Committee, trusts that the Government will be able to provide indications in its next report on the progress made to obtain the involvement of the social partners in order to ensure that the objectives of the Convention are being achieved. Please also indicate the manner in which the views of the representatives of persons affected by the employment policy measures, including the opinions of representatives of the Roma population, have been taken into account with regard to the employment policy measures designed for disadvantaged jobseekers.