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

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - France (Ratification: 1950)

Further to its observation, the Committee noted earlier comments submitted by the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT) and the General Confederation of Labour (Union of Social Affairs/Federation of Public Service/Labour Inspectorate for Transport). The Government is asked to provide the necessary information on the Committee's previous direct request, which read as follows:

The Committee noted the observations submitted by the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT) alleging non-application of Article 3, paragraph 2, and Article 10 of the Convention. The Union indicated that one of the eight labour inspection posts in the Department of Isère had been effectively held vacant for almost one year because the inspector who should do the inspection work in the post has also been given responsibilities for vocational training. Consequently, a number of important enterprises have not been inspected for nine months, and the union's attempts to persuade the inspectorate to remedy the situation have failed. The Committee hopes the Government will include in its next report all due information in this respect.

The CGT/Union of Social Affairs indicated that, contrary to the observations communicated by the Government to the Committee of Experts in 1989, according to which "an increase in the budget allocated to the Labour Inspectorate for Transport is now under examination and measures to generalise the use of service cars are being taken",

- the budget allocated to transport costs had been reduced by 8.57 per cent;

- the staff of the Labour Inspectorate for Transport had been asked to limit their inspections and, in particular, no longer to carry out regular inspections;

- the use of service cars by the inspection services were not facilitated.

The Committee hopes, once more, that the Government will spare no effort in providing the Labour Inspectorate for Transport with all the means necessary for the effective exercise of their duties and requests it to supply information on the measures taken in this respect.

Article 20 of the Convention. The Committee notes that the annual report on inspection for 1989 was received by the ILO in May 1991. It hopes that the Government will now publish and supply the annual report for 1990, and that in subsequent years the time-limits laid down in the Convention will be observed.