CMNT_TITLE

For many years, the Committee has pointed out that section 2(b) of the Social Insurance Act (No. 79, 1975) - one of the pieces of legislation ensuring the implementation of the Convention - subjects equal treatment for foreign workers to two requirements, namely the holding of a contract of at least one year and the conclusion of a reciprocity agreement, which is contrary to the provisions of Article 11 of the Convention. The Government indicated in its previous report of 2001 that the Ministry of Social Insurance was in the process of revising the Social Insurance Act and that it would take due account of the Committee’s comments on the abovementioned section of the Act in the course of such revision. The Committee notes from the Government’s last report, sent in 2004, that the said amendment is still in progress and that the Act as amended to give effect to the Convention has not yet been promulgated. The Committee trusts that the amendment envisaged will take effect very shortly and will ensure, in law and in practice, that the provisions of the Convention are applied to foreign seafarers whatever be the length of their contract and whether or not a reciprocity agreement has been concluded. The Committee requests the Government to provide a copy of the text of the amended law as soon as it is adopted.