Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Weekly Rest (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1957 (No. 106) - Ethiopia (Ratification: 1991)

Referring to its previous comments, the Committee notes with regret that the Government has merely repeated the arguments put forward in its previous reports. It again requests the Government to translate the following considerations into action.

Article 3, paragraph 1(a), of the Convention. The Government has been indicating since 1994 that regulations governing conditions of work applicable to personal services shall be issued by the Council of Ministers. The Committee again asks the Government to undertake the necessary action and expresses the hope that the next report will contain information on the proper application of the above provision of the Convention to the persons concerned.

Article 3, paragraph 1(b) to (d). Section 70(1) and (2) of the Labour Proclamation No. 42/1993 provides for weekly rest schemes related to activities which are identical or similar to those enumerated under Article 3, paragraph 1(b) to (d). Thus, existing legislation and collective agreements appear to ensure the application of the Convention to post and telecommunication services, newspaper undertakings and theatres and places of public entertainment. A declaration addressed to the Office, formally accepting the obligations of the Convention with regard to these establishments, would be an appropriate means to extend the application of the Convention to these groups of workers, without creating any further obligations to the Government than the ones already existing under the national legislation. It appears from the Government’s report, however, that it is under the impression that a declaration extending the application of the Convention to such persons could only be made by the Government at the time of ratification of the Convention.

Therefore, the Committee would like to point out, that under Article 3, paragraph 2, of the Convention, a government may communicate to the Director-General of the International Labour Office at any time after ratification, a declaration accepting the obligation of the Convention in respect of post and telecommunication services, newspaper undertakings and theatres and places of public entertainment. In view of the coherence between the national legislation and the Convention, the Committee again invites the Government to communicate such a declaration to the Office.