Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Mauritania (Ratification: 1971)

Other comments on C122

Observation

Direct Request

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The Committee notes the observations of the General Confederation of Workers of Mauritania (CGTM), received on 28 August 2015, and the Government’s report and its reply to the observations of the CGTM, received on 30 September and 12 October 2015, respectively.

Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention. Employment promotion. Consultation of the social partners. The Government indicates in its report that problems of employment remain a source of major concern for the public authorities and that it is intensifying its policy aimed at further reducing poverty and promoting employment through sectoral programmes that have produced results particularly in terms of reducing unemployment (according to the reference survey conducted by the National Office of Statistics with technical support from the ILO, the unemployment rate has been reduced to 10.1 per cent from nearly 31 per cent in 2008). The Government also reports on the drawing up of a plan of action that provides for the updating and adoption of the National Employment Promotion Strategy and also the establishment of a mechanism for dialogue, the sharing of experiences and the participation of the social partners in the design and validation of strategies and action plans. The Committee notes that, in the context of the tripartite discussion that took place in the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards in June 2014, the Government declared that the opening of negotiations with the trade unions was imminent. The CGTM, for its part, refers to the lack of a national employment policy and the lack of planning due to the fact that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) does not contain any vision based on the creation of jobs. In reply to the observations of the CGTM, the Government states that it gives particular attention to employment in general and to youth employment in particular. The Government refers to the formulation in a participatory manner of a national employment strategy, and also the establishment of a number of institutions aimed at equipping young people with skills or providing them with direct job opportunities. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the results achieved in the context of the National Employment Strategy in terms of the creation of lasting employment, the reduction of underemployment and measures to combat poverty. The Committee again requests the Government to provide detailed information on the participation of the social partners in the formulation and implementation of the National Employment Strategy. The Committee further requests the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to involve the representatives of persons working in rural areas and in the informal economy in the consultations provided for by the Convention.

Policy coordination. Education and vocational training. The Government previously indicated that, with a view to the establishment of a high-quality technical and vocational training (TVT) system, vocational training and further training centres had been rehabilitated and the equipment of TVT establishments had been upgraded. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted to ensure the linkage between education, vocational training and employment policies. The Committee also requests the Government to include information on the measures taken to improve the supply of vocational and technical training for young persons and women, and to create productive and lasting employment under socially satisfactory conditions for workers in the informal economy.

Article 2 of the Convention. Compilation and use of employment data. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the progress achieved in the compilation of employment data, with an indication of the employment policy measures adopted as a result of the establishment of a new national system of employment information.

Labour market institutions. The Government referred to the establishment of the National Youth Employment Promotion Agency (ANAPEJ) and the authorization given to labour inspectorates to open employment offices. The Committee also referred to its 2010 General Survey concerning employment instruments (paragraph 786), in which it emphasized that one of the fundamental steps contributing to the achievement of full employment is to build or strive to build institutions that ensure an efficient public employment service and to regulate the operation of private employment agencies. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to reinforce the institutions necessary for the achievement of full employment. It also requests the Government to include information on the manner in which existing employment offices in the country contribute towards ensuring the adequate placement of available workers.

Micro- and small enterprises. The Government reiterates in its report that it has established a service responsible for the promotion of micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) and plans to develop a concerted MSE promotion strategy for the 2014–18 period. The Committee requests the Government to provide up-to-date information on the impact of the measures adopted in terms of promoting the creation of lasting employment through micro- and small enterprises.

Employment promotion and labour-intensive programmes. The Government indicates that, in the context of employment promotion and labour intensive programmes, a project for the promotion of carved stone has evolved into a permanent public enterprise carrying out work with local materials using labour-intensive methods, which are still widely adopted in road building, construction and the development of water and electricity networks. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the jobs created through labour-intensive programmes.