Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117) - Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (Ratification: 1983)

1. Parts I and II of the Convention. Improvement of standards of living. The Committee requests the Government to include in its next report an updated assessment of the manner in which "the improvement of the standard of living" has been considered as "the principal objective in the planning of economic development" (Article 2 of the Convention) and to inform it of the results achieved to increase the production capacity and to improve the living standards of agricultural producers (Article 4).

2. Part IV. Remuneration of workers. The Committee notes the Government’s statement in its report received in October 2003 that the matters raised by the Committee of Experts will be borne in mind when the legislative drafts reforming the Organic Labour Act and its Regulations are brought before the National Assembly. The Committee recalls that in its previous comments, it referred to section 165 of the Act which provides that "during an employment relation, debts contracted by the workers to their employers shall be repayable, in weekly or monthly instalments, only if the amounts of repayment are less than one-third of one week’s or one month’s wages, depending on the case …". The Committee again indicates that Article 12, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention, in addition to regulating the means of repaying advances on wages, provides that the amount of advances which may be made to a worker in consideration of his/her taking up employment shall be limited by the competent authority. Consequently, the Committee reiterates its hope that, in the near future, the Committee will adopt the necessary measures to regulate the amount of advances on wages, including advances which may be made to a worker in consideration of his/her taking up employment, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention. In fixing the maximum amount of advances on wages, measures should also be adopted to make any advance in excess of the amount laid down legally irrecoverable (Article 12, paragraph 3).