Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

The Committee notes the Government’s report and in particular the information supplied in reply to the previous request concerning Articles 7, 8 and 10 of the Convention. It asks the Government to provide further information on the following points:

Article 9, paragraph 1.  The Committee notes that the compilation of statistics of hours paid for was discontinued after 1992. It notes the Government’s indication in its report that the compilation of statistics of hours of work should have been resumed as from 1998. The Committee asks the Government to indicate whether statistics of average hours of work (hours actually worked or hours paid for) are now compiled on the basis of the Employment Survey, and published accordingly.

Article 9, paragraph 2.  The Committee notes that, since October 1991, statistics of average wage rates, normal hours of work and average earnings by occupation in certain industry groups have not been available. It asks the Government to indicate whether measures are contemplated to compile and publish statistics of time rates of wages and normal hours of work, according to occupations or occupational groups and other characteristics, in accordance with Paragraphs 4(1) and (2) of Labour Statistics Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170).

The Committee notes that the results of the Employment Survey are made available with a certain time lag. The Employment Survey Report dated August 1998 and annexed to the Government’s report shows data for October 1996 and April 1997. The October 1996 data were received in STAT only in May 2000. The Committee further notes that this issue of timeliness of statistical data was also raised in the comments of the Transport and General Workers’ Union. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the usefulness of updated, timely statistics and encourages it to produce, publish or disseminate through other means, and to communicate to the ILO, as soon as practicable and on a regular basis, the Employment Survey Report and the statistics covered under Article 9, in accordance with Article 5.

The Committee asks the Government to communicate to the ILO information on the methodology followed in the Employment Survey since 1998, in accordance with Article 6.

Article 11.  The Committee again asks the Government to indicate the measures taken or contemplated to give effect to Article 11 concerning statistics of labour cost. In this respect, the Committee suggests that the Government take into consideration the details provided in the Labour Statistics Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170), Paragraphs 6(1) and (2), and the resolution concerning statistics of labour cost, adopted by the 11th ICLS in October 1966.

Article 12.  The Committee asks the Government to send regularly to the ILO all-items and food groups indices (in accordance with Article 5), and to send to the ILO methodological information on the new CPI series base year April 1998=100 (in accordance with Article 6), together with the retrospective figures on the same base year.

Article 13.  The Committee notes that the Family Expenditure Survey is carried out irregularly, and that the time gap between the 1995-96 survey and the previous one was more than 17 years. It further notes that the Retail Price Index Advisory Committee has asked the Government to consider making adequate resources available to enable the Family Expenditure Survey to be undertaken at least every five years. The Committee asks the Government whether it has considered conducting the Family Expenditure Survey at shorter and more regular intervals in the future.

Article 14.  The Committee notes the statistics on industrial accidents in 1998 compiled by the Social Services Department that were annexed to the report, as well as the information concerning the low incidence of occupational diseases. The Committee asks the Government to provide the following information: (i) the types of statistics compiled under this Article (e.g. the number of cases of injury, the number of days lost, etc.); (ii) their coverage (in terms of workers, types of occupational injuries, economic activities, types of establishments, etc.); (iii) the manner in which the representative organizations of employers and workers were consulted when the statistical system was established or revised (Article 3); (iv) the source of the data, frequency of compilation and references of publications (Article 5); and (v) the methods used to collect, compile and publish the statistics (Article 6).

Article 15.  The Committee recalls that according to the Government’s indication, the incidence of industrial disputes is negligible, and no statistics covering them are currently compiled. It again asks the Government to indicate the measures taken to compile statistics of industrial disputes covered by Article 15, if such disputes do occur.