Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2001, publiée 90ème session CIT (2002)

The Committee notes the Government’s brief report.

The Committee also notes the Government’s commitment to giving high priority to the issue of child labour. Referring to the information concerning the establishment in the Ministry of Labour of a directorate responsible for working women and children, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply a copy of the texts relating to the composition and functions of this directorate as well as information on the practical and legislative measures taken to give labour inspectors the means to ensure effective supervision of the legal provisions concerning working conditions of women and children and the protection of women and children at work.

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not provided the specific information requested in previous comments and hopes that detailed information on the following points will be supplied for examination at its next session.

1. Reporting obligations. The Committee hopes that forthcoming reports on the application of the Convention will contain information on any changes and developments in the fields covered. This information should relate particularly to new legislative and regulatory provisions concerning the organization of the labour inspection system as well as those whose application falls under labour inspectors’ supervision; on numbers of inspection staff and their geographical distribution; on the material means and transport facilities made available for them to carry out their numerous visits; on the status and working conditions of inspectors; on frequency of inspection visits and the powers with which labour inspectors are invested in relation to the development of industrial and commercial activities and the new occupational hazards they involve.

2. Annual labour inspection reports. The annual general labour reports that should be published and communicated to the ILO by the central authorities in compliance with Article 20 of the Convention and which contain information on the matters listed in Article 21 should provide an overview at the national level of the situation and effectiveness of the resources used and enable them to be improved. The purpose of publishing these reports is particularly to make them accessible to employers, workers and their organizations and to elicit their views in a constructive manner. Noting that, according to the Government, legislation is undergoing revision, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would take the necessary measures to ensure that a provision giving effect to the aforementioned Articles of the Convention be adopted and to keep the ILO informed of progress made.

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