Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

The Committee notes the Government’s report on the application of the Convention received in October 2010. The Committee notes with interest that the Standing Committee for the Coordination of Social Affairs created a framework that allows representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations to express their views on the policies formulated by the Labour Affairs Bureau and thus improve the work done by the administrative authority in the area of the employment service and its development. The Government reports that, on 6 May 2009, after the Labour Affairs Bureau and Employment Department completed a presentation on the Service Commitment Programme, both employer and worker members of the Standing Committee felt dissatisfaction with the performance of employment matching and made suggestions for improvements. The Labour Affairs Bureau promised to give them careful study and follow-up. The Government further reports that it is in the process of studying a revision to Decree-Law No. 32/94/M concerning the system of issuing permits to employment agencies. The Committee invites the Government to consult the  General Survey of 2010 on employment instruments in which it highlighted that the public employment service is one of the necessary institutions for the achievement of full employment. In conjunction with the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), Convention No. 88 forms a necessary building block for employment growth (General Survey, op. cit., paragraphs 785–790). The Committee would appreciate receiving in the next report additional information on measures taken in order to achieve cooperation between the public employment service and private employment agencies (Article 11 of the Convention). The Committee invites the Government to also include information on the involvement of the social partners in the organization and operation of the public employment service and in the development of an employment service policy (Articles 4 and 5). Please also include the statistical data required under Part IV of the report form.