Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1998, published 87th ILC session (1999)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Dominica (Ratification: 1983)

1. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in response to its previous comments. Concerning the cessation of the benefit of free secondary education for the dependants of female officials who get married, pursuant to section 3 of the Pensions (Amendment) Act, 1978, the Committee notes with interest that school fees were abolished in 1981 and that there is no discrimination in respect of entry to secondary schools.

2. The Committee notes that the Government has received a copy of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Model Laws for Labour Law Harmonization which makes provision, inter alia, for a Model Act concerning Equality of Opportunity and Treatment in Employment and Occupation and that one of the aims of the model is to promote the application of Convention No. 111. The Committee hopes that the Government's next report will provide information on any measures being taken to implement the model legislation at the national level.

3. In previous comments, the Committee had sought information on the practical measures taken to ensure that Caribs and other minorities enjoy protection from discrimination in employment and occupation in society at large. In response, the Government states that the Caribs enjoy the same privileges as other Dominicans, that they are found working in the government machinery, enjoy free land and are able to live anywhere in the country without harassment. Caribs who are employed are, according to the Government, members of unions, including the Civil Service Association and the Dominica Association of Teachers and other established unions. The Government further states that the Labour Division of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Immigration and Labour provides help to Caribs in obtaining employment, for example, on cruise ships, and assists them in labour disputes. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the participation of Caribs and other minorities in the labour market, including their employment percentages in the civil service and in the teaching profession. Please also provide any available information on the extent to which Caribs and other minorities have completed secondary and tertiary education, as compared with other Dominicans, including courses offered by the Youth Skilled Training Programme.

4. The Committee notes the information provided on the number of men and women trainees enrolled in the different courses offered under the Youth Skilled Training Programme for the periods July 1995-June 1996 and July 1996-June 1997. Please indicate whether measures are also being taken to ensure that the training provided in these courses matches the real needs of the labour market and that those trained have a reasonable expectation of finding employment in their chosen fields.

5. As concerns the right of persons to appeal against measures which are taken as a result of their being suspected of, or charged with, activities under sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the State Security Act, 1984, the Committee notes that such a right is accorded under section 15 of the Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 89:01, which sets out the powers of the Industrial Relations Tribunal. Please provide information in future reports on any proceedings under the above-mentioned provisions which relate to the application of Article 4 of the Convention.

6. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain, in accordance with Article 3, some concrete examples of the action being taken by the Government, in consultation with the employers' and workers' organizations, to promote the acceptance and observance of the national policy designed to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation.