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Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117) - Paraguay (RATIFICATION: 1969)

Articles 6 to 8 of the Convention. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes the information supplied by the Government, in particular the copy of the publication of the National Census of Population and Dwelling-houses of 1982. Table 28 (p. 417) of the Census shows that interdepartmental migration of persons age five years or more between 1977 and 1982 counted 261,360, while immigrants from foreign countries numbered 103,920 and non-migrant population 2,164,041. The Committee notes this information and requests the Government to provide further details and/or their analyses, if any, in particular regarding migration for employment and any measures taken as a consequence with regard to conditions of employment of migrant workers.

The Committee also notes that in the Yacyretá project, 5,355 workers were employed in 1989, and that as for the Itaipú project, 7,850 workers were employed as of 30 June 1989, of which 3,134 were Paraguayans and 4,693 were Brazilians. The Government supplied with its report copies of the Protocol between Paraguay and Argentina concerning labour and social security of the bi-national entity Yacyretá, and of the Protocol between Paraguay and Brazil concerning labour relations and social security of the workers contracted by Itaipú as well as of the additional Protocol to the latter regarding, in particular, the workers employed by the contractors or subcontractors. The Committee notes with interest that these protocols cover not only the workers directly employed by the project entity itself but also those engaged by the contractors and subcontractors of works and suppliers and sub-suppliers of services, and provide for uniform standards of the terms and conditions of employment applicable irrespective of the workers' nationality. It further notes that the protocols include provisions on medical services and the reimbursement of their cost not only for the workers but also for their dependants.

The Committee however notes that there are no provisions in these protocols regarding facilities for enabling the migrant workers to transfer part of their wages and savings to their homes (Article 8(3)). It therefore requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken or envisaged to this end. It would be grateful if the Government would supply information in its future reports on any other agreements of similar nature to these protocols.

As regards the employment of Paraguayan temporary workers in Argentina, the Committee notes the Government's indication that this phenomenon no longer exists, since the present conditions in that country are not advantageous for Paraguayan temporary workers.

Article 15, paragraph 1. The Committee notes from the summary results of the 1982 Population Census that the structure of population attending formal educational institutions has changed between 1972 and 1982, and namely that the percentage of those attending the primary level education decreased from 86.2 per cent in 1972 to 75.3 per cent in 1982, while the percentage of those attending the secondary level increased from 12.2 per cent to 21.4 per cent during the same period (table 4 of the summary, p. XVIII). In its analysis, the Census indicates that this relative decrease of population at the primary level education may be attributed to the fact that the school enrolment at this level did not grow at the same pace as the school-age population, and that the enrolment at the secondary level increased faster than that at the primary level especially in the rural areas. The Committee requests the Government to supply information on measures taken or envisaged for the progressive development of education, vocational training and apprenticeship in accordance with this provision of the Convention, with particular reference to the measures to encourage the enrolment at the primary level education.