Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (Ratification: 1967)

The Committee notes the Government’s reports for the period ending May 1999, the information supplied in reply to its previous comments and the 1998 annual report on the work of the inspection services.

The Committee notes with interest the information indicating that 118 new labour inspectors for social security and industrial safety have been trained. It notes that, in accordance with Article 7(3) of the Convention, the internal regulations for admission to the occupation provide that this category of labour inspectors shall receive specialized training within the framework of agreements concluded with the national higher education institutions, and particularly the university and university technology institute for industrial safety of Carabobo. It also notes that 22 heads of labour inspection and social security and industrial safety units have undergone retraining on documentation and legislation. Recalling, however, the provisions of Article 6 under which the inspection staff shall be composed of public officials who shall be assured of stability of employment and who are independent of any improper external influences, the Committee notes that under section 1 of Presidential Decree No.  1367 of 12 June 1996, inspection staff are considered to be performing confidential work and, as such, are liable to discretionary dismissal. The Committee considers that such a provision is contrary to the letter and spirit of the abovementioned Article of the Convention. The Government is therefore requested to take the necessary measures to have provisions adopted as speedily as possible with a view to ensuring that the inspection staff shall be composed of public officials whose status and conditions of employment are such that they are ensured of stability of employment and are independent of improper external influences.

The Committee notes that the inspection staff includes a high proportion of women and requests the Government to indicate whether, as provided in Article 8, special duties are assigned to them.

The Committee notes with interest the detailed information contained in the 1998 annual inspection report on the matters listed in Article 21(a), (b), (d), (e) and (f). It would be grateful if the Government would ensure that statistics concerning the number of workplaces liable to inspection and the number of workers employed therein (c) and statistics of occupational diseases (g) are also included in future annual inspection reports. It requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to ensure that the annual reports prepared by the central inspection authority are published and communicated to the ILO within the time frame prescribed in Article 20, and to supply information on measures taken to this end.