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The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government, particularly regarding Article 12, paragraph 2, of the Convention.

Article 5, paragraph 1. The Committee notes the Government's statement that information obtained by means of the questionnaire used in order to carry out the survey on employment and wages in individual establishments is not trustworthy. The Committee also notes that the statistics of hours of work are compiled by means of the survey on the labour force; however, the Committee notes that these statistics do not concord with the statistics on earnings. The Committee therefore hopes that the Government will take the necessary measures in the near future to obtain trustworthy information, and to transmit it with its future reports.

Article 5, paragraph 2. The Committee notes that, according to the Government, the chosen sample of the construction sector, which covers only enterprises employing 100 or more workers, is representative, inasmuch as there is a greater probability of enterprises of this type maintaining their operations on a continuous basis and of being a permanent and appropriate source of information. The Committee considers, however, that since 70 per cent of the establishments in the construction industry employ fewer than 20 workers, these establishments (which form the majority when the number of workers employed is taken into account) would appear likely to operate on a continuous basis taken as a group and would in that event be able to transmit the required information on a regular basis. The Committee therefore hopes that the Government will re-examine the question of taking these enterprises into account in surveys conducted for statistical purposes in the construction sector.

The Committee also notes the explanations given by the Government concerning the Minimum Employment Programme (PEM). In line with the conclusions of the committee set up to examine the representation presented by the National Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (CNS) under article 24 of the ILO Constitution, the Committee points out once again that the PEM cannot be considered to be an employment programme. The committee set up to examine the representation also considered that the PEM is not a programme of unemployment assistance. (Official Bulletin, Special Supplement 2/1985, Vol. LXVIII, Series B, paragraphs 55 and 56, p. 27.) The Committee therefore hopes that the Government will adopt the necessary measures to include in statistics of average earnings and hours actually worked, workers employed in the industries covered by the Convention that come under the Minimum Employment Programmes.

Article 10, paragraph 2. The Committee notes the Government's explanations to the effect that it is not possible to obtain figures for the compilation of statistics of earnings for each sex and age group because the enterprises supplying the information do not have the necessary staff and are not sufficiently well organised to supply this type of information. The Committee once again expresses the hope that the Government will be able to take measures to obtain statistics of average earnings for each sex and age group of workers, at the intervals provided for by the Convention.

Part IV of the Convention, Article 22, paragraphs 2(c) and 3. The Committee notes the value fixed for the allowances in kind received by agricultural workers as part of their wages, and that the National Statistics Institute (INE) is not in a position to predict whether it will be possible to allocate resources in order to extend the coverage of labour statistics. The Committee nevertheless hopes that the Government will decide to take the necessary steps for the INE to be able in the near future to compile statistics in the agricultural sector and therefore to give effect to these provisions of the Convention.

Finally, the Committee hopes that the Government will consider it appropriate to take into account the suggestion made in its general observation.