CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes that the Government’s report on the application of the Convention has not been received. While noting the annual reports on the work of the labour inspection services for 2006 and 2007 received by the Office, it is bound to repeat its previous observation on the following matters:

Need for legislative, structural and budgetary measures to ensure the effective operation of the labour inspection system. The Committee notes that, according to the report of the second methodological meeting of the heads of provincial labour inspection departments (4–5 May 2005), the labour inspectorate suffers from a number of shortcomings and dysfunctions preventing its effective operation: the absence of texts implementing the Labour Code; the absence of labour inspection structures in the provincial directorates of Huambo and Namibe; the excessively weak cooperation of provincial judicial and financial authorities; and the manifest inadequacy of the proportion of the budget allocated to cover the operating expenses of inspection services. The Committee hopes that the Government will not fail to ensure that these shortcomings are remedied rapidly through:

(i)    the identification of fields in which the legislation requires the adoption of regulations for its implementation in practice and tripartite consultation with a view to the formulation of appropriate provisions;

(ii)   the implementation of measures to facilitate effective and useful collaboration between the labour inspection services and other public or private bodies and institutions; and

(iii)  the determination of appropriate budgetary allocations for the normal operation of the inspection services taking into account the need for fuel, materials and office consumer items, as well as other ongoing operational expenses (rent, maintenance of premises, water supply, electricity, telephone, etc.).

The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate in its next report any progress achieved in this respect, as well as the difficulties encountered.

The Committee hopes that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the very near future.

The Committee is addressing a request directly to the Government on other matters.