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The Committee refers the Government to its observation, and draws attention to the following points.

Article 3 of the Convention. Main functions of the labour inspection system, duties in the area of labour relations and incidental administrative tasks. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes from the tables showing the activities carried out in 2005 by the regional labour inspection services, that most of the inspectors’ work concerned the settlement of labour disputes and various operations involving the calculation of social benefits due to workers. It notes that there are plans for 2007 to strengthen the inspectorate staff by further recruitment and training, depending on available budgetary resources. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would shortly take measures to ensure that the labour inspectors’ main duties consist of supervision and the provision of information and advice, as prescribed by Article 3, paragraph 1, and to ensure the enforcement of legal provisions on working conditions and the protection of workers. It requests the Government to provide information on any developments in this respect and in respect of the strengthening of the labour inspectorate’s human resources.

Article 8. Eligibility of both men and women for appointment to the inspection staff; special duties assigned to men and women inspectors. According to the Government, from preference, women labour inspectors are placed in charge of matters pertaining to the working conditions of women and children, male inspectors being responsible for the supervision of occupational safety and health and minimum wages. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate how the distribution of duties between men and women labour inspectors is organized in practice when the personnel of a workplace comprises men, women and young workers.

Articles 12, paragraph 1(a), and 18. Free access for labour inspectors to workplaces subject to inspection. According to the Government, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has taken firm measures to ensure that labour inspectors are in general allowed to enter workplaces. Several joint inspections have been carried out by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry for Security and the Procurator General, and further joint visits are to take place with assistance from a special procurator. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would specify the purpose of each of the above authorities in participating in these inspections, indicating the extent of the inspections and describing the measures implemented to give safety and health inspectors greater freedom to enter workplaces covered by the Convention, as requested by the Committee in its previous comments.

Article 14. Notification of occupational diseases to the inspectorate. With reference to comments it has made many times, the Committee again requests the Government to take steps to give full effect to this provision of the Convention and to provide copies of any relevant texts governing the instances in which the inspectorate must be informed of cases of occupational disease and the manner of such notification.

Article 18. Appropriate penalties. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes that the draft revision of the Labour Code is being discussed by the Government and the social partners. It draws the Government’s attention to the relevance of this draft legislation to the establishment of a system for setting penalties that remain dissuasive regardless of any monetary fluctuations, and would be grateful if the Government would send the ILO information on any progress in this respect together with copies of any relevant texts.