Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

Workmen's Compensation (Accidents) Convention, 1925 (No. 17) - Sierra Leone (Ratification: 1961)

Article 5 of the Convention. For a number of years, the Committee has been drawing attention to the fact that sections 6, 7 and 8 of the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance 1954, as amended in 1969, are not in conformity with this provision of the Convention, since, although they provide for periodic payments equivalent in theory to the amount of wages, they restrict payment of compensation to a certain number of months, whereas according to the Convention this payment should be made throughout the whole contingency.

In its reply received in September 1992 the Government, after referring to a mission conducted in Sierra Leone by the ILO regional adviser for social security, stated that discussions were held with social partners as well as with UNDP with a view to carrying out a planning consultancy which would devise a strategy for the future development of a social security system for the country. It was hoped that on the basis of its recommendations the current scheme, which is based on the principle of employers' liability backed by commercial insurance (and paying lump-sum benefits), will be replaced with a more modern employment injury scheme based on social insurance providing periodical payments. However, in its subsequent report received in December 1993 the Government limited itself to stating that no change has occurred in the application of the Convention. In this situation the Committee once again hopes that the Government will not fail to consider the above-mentioned issue and that its next report will contain information on the measures taken or contemplated to give full effect to Article 5 of the Convention.