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Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131) - Eswatini (RATIFICATION: 1981)

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report and the attached documents.

Articles 1 and 4 of the Convention. Minimum wage system and consultations with social partners. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that there are at present 16 wages councils in operation. It also notes the minimum monthly and weekly rates applicable in the different industries and trades. The Committee requests the Government to specify when these rates were actually fixed and to transmit copies of the relevant legal texts.

In addition, the Committee notes that according to the 2005 annual report of the Department of Labour, the tripartite Wages Advisory Board, which is provided for in section 4 of the Wages Act, 1954, has remained dormant since the 1980s while the Wages Act has been earmarked by the Labour Advisory Board for amendment in the context of the legislative development process that started with the Industrial Relations Act and the revision of the Employment Act. The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed of all future developments concerning the efforts to reactivate the Wages Advisory Board and the legislative changes to the Employment and the Wages Acts.

Article 3. Socio-economic considerations for the periodic review and adjustment of minimum wages. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the decisions of the wages councils rely on a number of factors such as the inflation rate or the profits of enterprises. The Committee would appreciate receiving more detailed explanations concerning the manner in which social and economic criteria, such as the cost of living, workers’ basic needs in terms of social security, lodging, health and leisure, the unemployment rate, or the relationship between rural and urban incomes are taken into account in revising minimum wage levels and also the legal provisions determining these criteria.

Article 5 and Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the statistical information provided by the Government according to which 531,286 wage earners are covered by wage regulations orders while the labour inspection services conducted a total of 2,353 visits in 2006 as compared to 1,332 visits in 2005. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide up to date information on the practical application of the Convention, including statistics on the number of workers remunerated at the minimum wage rates, the evolution of the minimum wage over the past five years as compared to the evolution of economic indicators such as the consumer price index in the same period, copies of activity reports of the Department of Labour, or surveys of economic conditions which may have served for the periodic adjustment of minimum wages, etc.