Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

The Committee notes the Government's first report. It notes with interest that, in the context of transition to a market economy, the Government has been making efforts to adhere better to the ILO standards and guidelines concerning the statistical concepts, definitions and methodology used (Article 2 of the Convention, see also comments on Articles 9 and 10 below). It also notes that the ILO has been providing technical assistance to Belarus in this respect. The Committee hopes that such assistance will help the Government to cope with the challenges of transition (such as the recording of the private sector activities and of wages) and at the same time to ensure better compliance with the Convention.

The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the following points.

Article 3. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the manner in which representative organizations of employers and workers are consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology used are designed or revised regarding Articles 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Articles 5 and 6. The Committee notes that the most recent statistical publication for Belarus available in the ILO refers to 1982. It therefore asks the Government to communicate to the ILO, as soon as practicable, the published statistics compiled in pursuance of the Convention and information concerning their publication as well as detailed descriptions of the sources, concepts, definitions and methodology used. Please also refer to the detailed requests below, regarding each accepted Article of Part II of the Convention.

Article 7. The Committee notes that no information is available on unemployment statistics and information is incomplete regarding employment statistics. It therefore requests the Government to provide further information on employment and, particularly, on unemployment statistics concerning their availability, frequency, reference period and source, the titles of the publications in which they are released as well as relevant methodological information.

In connection with Article 2, please indicate whether the latest standards and guidelines (such as the concepts and definitions of economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment elaborated by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 1982) have been followed.

Article 8. The Committee notes that, although censuses have been carried out regularly, discrepancies exist in classifications and that little information (data, methodology, publications, etc.) is made available to the ILO. Please supply further information in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 as mentioned above.

Articles 9 and 10, read together with Article 2. The Committee requests the Government to indicate (i) which actual changes have already been made to the concepts of earnings, in order to bring them in line with those contained, in particular, in the resolution concerning an integrated system of wages statistics adopted by the Twelfth ICLS in 1973; and (ii) whether the Government envisages adapting the industrial classification to the International Standard Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC) 1968 or 1988.

Article 9. The Committee notes that no data seem to be collected on hours actually worked or paid for, and on wage rates. It requests the Government to indicate: (i) whether various approaches and different levels of detail are applied to monthly, half-yearly and annual reporting on statistics of earnings; and whether the statistics of earnings will now cover all enterprises/establishments irrespective of their size and type of organization; and if not, what is the minimum threshold in terms of employment size; (ii) whether steps are being taken to collect, compile and publish statistics of hours of work, either hours actually worked or hours paid for; (iii) whether steps are being taken to collect, compile and publish statistics of wage rates, jointly with normal/contractual hours of work; and (iv) whether the establishment survey planned for 1993 is intended to produce statistics of occupational earnings.

Article 10. The Committee notes from the Government's report that the annual labour reports include data on wage structure. It however notes that no statistics of wage structure and distribution seem to have been produced as yet. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate measures taken or envisaged to compile and to publish statistics of wage structure and distribution of workers by wage levels.

Article 16, paragraph 3. The Committee notes that, although obligations were not accepted in respect of Article 12 at the time of ratification, the compilation of consumer price indices appears to fulfil all the requirements under the Convention. It therefore draws the Government's attention to the possibility of accepting the obligations of Article 12, in accordance with Article 16, paragraph 3.

Article 16, paragraph 4. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide further information (available data as well as methodological descriptions) on the statistics covered by Articles 11, 13, 14 and 15, which were excluded from the acceptance of obligations, referring in particular to the following points: Article 11, whether steps are taken to produce, in the future, statistics of labour cost on the basis of the information derived from the "funds earmarked for consumption"; Article 13, the Committee would like to draw the Government's attention to the questionnaires on household income and expenditure survey, which the ILO has sent to the Government and which the Government can obtain again from the Office, if necessary, since such questionnaires would help the Government to communicate required information; Article 14, the communication to the ILO of statistics of occupational injuries would be much appreciated; Article 15, the Committee would appreciate information concerning strikes which, according to the report, has been collected on a monthly basis since 1990.