Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Referring also to its observation, the Committee notes that the Government has replied in part to its previous comments.

Article 9 of the Convention. The Committee notes that, according to the Government’s report and the annual inspection report for 1999, four inspectors of labour legislation in the agricultural sector were to attend a training course on health and safety as part of the technical cooperation programme with the Arab Occupational Health and Safety Institute in Damascus in 2000. The Committee asks the Government to indicate the content of the training and to provide more general information on the cooperation programme in question.

Article 11. The Government states in its report that, in view of the importance of the technical aspects of health and safety issues in the agricultural sector and their implications not only for the health of workers but also for the working environment, 21 specialists are to be recruited to assist inspectors of labour legislation in the agricultural sector (seven in agricultural machinery, seven in agricultural and chemical pathology and seven veterinary surgeons). The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the above plan, including the distribution of any of the above staff in the inspection bodies, and to provide the relevant texts.

Article 12, paragraph 1. Noting that there is cooperation and coordination between inspectors of labour legislation and inspectors whose responsibility is the social security fund as governed by the relevant provisions of the Social Security Act, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would give particulars of the content of the relations between these two institutions, provide copies of the  texts on which such relations are established and indicate the practical effects on the results of inspection activities in terms of the application of the relevant legislation and the prosecution of offences.

Articles 14 and 15. The Committee notes that the numbers of inspectors of labour legislation in the agricultural sector have scarcely evolved since 1985; that they would even appear to have decreased since 1992 and that the number of inspection visits fell from 1,638 in 1984 to 915 in 1999, which means a significant drop in inspection activities. According to the annual inspection report, this is due to a lack of transport and of work in general, and to the geographical location and difficulty of reaching enterprises in the agricultural sector. Moreover, the competent authority has expressed the hope that the number of inspection visits will increase in the future and has issued a circular asking inspectors to do their utmost to ensure that agricultural and forestry enterprises are inspected at least twice a year. The Committee emphasizes that to secure the effective discharge of the duties of the inspectorate, it is essential to determine the number of labour inspectors in accordance with Article 14(a)(i) with due regard in particular for the number, nature, size and situation of the agricultural undertakings, and for the competent authority to make the necessary arrangements, pursuant to Article 15, paragraph 1, to furnish labour inspectors with: (a) local offices which are suitably equipped in accordance with the requirements of the service and, in so far as possible, accessible to the persons concerned, and which are so located as to take account of the geographical situation of the agricultural undertakings and the means of communication; and (b) the transport facilities necessary for the performance of their duties in cases where suitable public facilities do not exist. It would appear that information as required by Article 27(b) on the number of agricultural undertakings liable to inspection is not available, which precludes a proper assessment of the application of Article 14(a)(i) concerning the size of the labour inspectorate. The Committee hopes that measures will be taken in the near future to establish an exhaustive list of agricultural undertakings to serve as a basis for determining staff requirements for the labour inspectorate in charge of labour legislation in the agricultural sector. It also hopes that the Government will not fail to take the necessary steps to allocate to the labour inspectorate an adequate proportion of the national budget to enable it to pursue its social and economic objectives. The Committee asks the Government to provide, in the light of the foregoing, figures showing progress made in giving proper effect to the abovementioned provisions of the Convention.

Lastly, the Committee notes the central authority’s perspectives on improving the labour inspectorate in the agricultural sector as reflected in the annual inspection report for 1999. Recalling that Article 26 requires annual inspection reports to be published with a view to acquainting the interested parties, particularly the social partners, with them at the national level, and to elicit their reactions, the Committee asks the Government to ensure that the central authority regularly publishes such reports and transmits them to the ILO within the period specified.