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Unemployment Convention, 1919 (No. 2) - Seychelles (RATIFICATION: 1978)

Article 2 of the Convention. System of free public employment agencies under the control of a central authority. The Committee notes the report provided by the Government for the period ending September 2010. The Government indicates that since September 2009, it has decided to outsource one of the main services of the Employment Promotion Section in the Ministry of Education, Employment and Human Resources to the newly created private employment agencies. The Government indicates that it was advised to take this decision by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank as a direct response to the Macro Economic Reform Programme (MERP) taking place in the country. The Government indicates that the private agencies receive employment vacancies, register and provide assistance to jobseekers. The Ministry is merely a facilitator in ensuring that jobseekers are being provided with the appropriate service to secure employment. The Committee notes that there is no fee charged against a person seeking the services of the private agencies (section 10(2)) of the 1995 Employment Act). The Ministry states that it has strong influence over the private agencies and communicates employment-related issues on a daily basis and on especially on their legal requirements. Three private employment agencies operate in Mahe and the Ministry maintains an office on the inner islands. The Committee also notes that the Ministry is working towards finding a suitable approach to ensure that timely and correct statistics are being provided by private employment agencies at all times. The Committee recalls that Article 2(1) of the Convention requires Members to establish “a system of free public employment agencies under the control of a central authority”. Furthermore, “Committees, which shall include representatives of employers and of workers, shall be appointed to advise on matters concerning the carrying on of these agencies”. In case both public and private free employment agencies exist, “steps shall be taken to coordinate the operations of such agencies on a national scale” (Article 2(2)). In its reply to the questionnaire from the General Survey on employment instruments, received in June 2009, the Government indicated that it considered the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), for imminent ratification under the Decent Work Country Programme. The Committee asks the Government to include in its next report on Convention No. 2 the information required for Article 2 on the working of the free public employment agencies, stating how the committees which include representatives of employers and workers, are constituted and appointed. The Committee would also welcome information on the steps taken to coordinate the operations of the private employment agencies with the public employment service. It also invites the Government, in consultation with the social partners, to consider ratification for the most recent Conventions regarding the issues covered by Convention No. 2 of 1919, that is, the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181).