Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1992, published 79th ILC session (1992)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Bulgaria (Ratification: 1949)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government and in particular the establishment by Decree No. 193 of 2 October 1991 of a State Labour Inspectorate at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The Committee notes that some but not all of the matters covered by the Convention are touched upon in Decree No. 193; it understands also that a new draft labour code deals with various aspects of the Convention. It hopes the Government will provide full details in due course. It would meanwhile be grateful if the Government, in addition to the specific points raised below, would provide a detailed appreciation of the manner in which the Convention is applied in light of this new and any other pertinent legislation, having regard to each of the questions in the report form approved by the Governing Body for this purpose.

Article 3, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The Committee notes that further duties additional to labour inspection, viz. registering collective agreements, giving permission for the employment of under-aged persons, giving permission for overtime work, are assigned to the State Labour Inspectorate. Please indicate what measures have been taken to ensure that these additional functions do not interfere with the effective discharge of labour inspectors' primary duties.

Article 4. Please provide additional information concerning the function, role and relations between various bodies created by Decree No. 193 including "the State Inspectorate of Labour and its specialised territorial labour controlling bodies" (article 5 of the Decree), "state labour controlling body" (article 9(1) of the Decree), "the state and public controlling bodies" (article 13 of the Decree).

Article 20. Please provide, within the required time-limits, the annual report on the activities of the inspection services, including the information required by Article 21. This will enable the Committee to gain an appreciation of the adequacy of inspection visits in terms of Article 16.

Please provide additional specific information also concerning application of Articles 14 (notification to inspectors of occupational diseases and industrial accidents) and 15 (disinterestedness of inspectors in supervised undertakings, and the principle of confidentiality).