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

1. The Committee notes the detailed report provided by the Government in reply to its 1998 observation. The Government refers to various legislative initiatives intended to create a national employment council and state and municipal employment councils, as well as the establishment of ten employment agencies. It also refers to a pilot programme of employment reference and support centres, which made it possible to modernize five employment agencies with the technical and financial assistance of the Inter-American Development Bank. In 1999, a new directorate of vocational and occupational training came into operation, which is responsible for employment agencies. The Government states that it envisages the expansion, consolidation and strengthening of the employment service as a labour network, which would include the public employment agencies of the Ministry of Labour, private non-profit-making agencies, employers’, labour and educational organizations, government and municipal bodies, with a view to developing a coordinated network of vocational guidance, information, mediation and training services. Taking into account the situation of the labour market which it has examined in its comments on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), the Committee requests the Government to describe in its next report the manner in which the reforms of the employment service have contributed to ensuring its essential function, which is "to ensure the best possible organisation of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and maintenance of full employment and the development and use of productive resources" (Article 1 of the Convention). In this respect, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would furnish any statistical information available in published annual or periodical reports concerning the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form).

2. Articles 4, 5 and 10. In its previous comments, the Committee requested information on the number of advisory committees established at the national and regional levels, how they are constituted and what procedure has been adopted for appointing employers’ and workers’ representatives. With reference to the recommendations made by a tripartite committee in 1993, information was requested concerning the amendment of section 604 of the Organic Labour Act to ensure its full conformity with Articles 4 and 5 of the Convention, which do not distinguish between employers’ and workers’ organizations with regard to the operation of the employment service. The Committee notes that measures have been taken to promote the voluntary use of the employment service, although information has not been provided on any consultation to this effect with employers’ and workers’ organizations. In view of the above, the Committee urges the Government to indicate in its next report the efforts made to give effect to the recommendations of the above tripartite committee and to implement in full the above provisions of the Convention.