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1. Article 4, paragraph 1, and Article 5 of the Convention. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report according to which the National Employment Service (SNE) aims to match job applicants with vacancies in the productive sector by promoting the productive integration of workers and appropriate collaboration between them. The Government states that during 1996 and the first quarter of 1997, the National Employment Service registered five vacancies on board ocean-going ships; 35 applications were submitted, five were short-listed and one worker was eventually hired. The Committee refers to the comments that it has made for a number of years and trusts that the Government will continue to keep it informed of efforts made in the organization and maintenance of an efficient and adequate system of public employment offices for finding employment for seamen without charge, in accordance with Article 4. It trusts that the Government will continue to provide information on the number of applications received, vacancies notified and seamen placed in employment by the employment services, the steps taken to ensure the coordination of these job placement services at national level, and statistical information on unemployment among seamen (Article 10).

2. Article 5. The Committee again notes that there are no joint shipowners' and seamen's committees as such. The Government indicates that the services of such committees are provided through other means (collective labour contracts and the Advisory Board of the National Employment Service) established by legislation, which give expression to the wishes of the parties involved in the form of agreements achieved through collective bargaining. The Committee notes that the Advisory Board is a general body and is not a body which could replace the role of specifically oriented committees concerned with the employment of seamen. The Committee therefore reiterates its request that the Government take account of the provisions of Article 5 of the Convention and take the specific measures needed to establish a consultation process through committees consisting of an equal number of representatives of shipowners and seamen, as required by the Convention.