Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Djibouti (Ratification: 1978)

1. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided a report in response to its observation of 2006. It notes the observations received in August 2007 from the General Union of Djibouti Workers (UGTD), sent to the Government in September 2007. The Committee requests the Government to supply a report containing specific information in reply to the UGTD’s observations and the Committee’s observation of 2006, particularly on the following points.

2. Articles 1 and 3 of the Convention and Part IV of the report form. Contribution of the employment service to promoting employment. The Committee notes that, according to the UGTD, the National Employment Service (SNE) is the key element in the promotion of strategies to stimulate the creation of lasting and decent employment. The UGTD indicates that with the increase in the number of private employment agencies, the SNE’s Labour Office no longer has the monopoly in the sector but that it still carries out placement of jobseekers on the basis of the posts and jobs requested by enterprises. Referring to its comments on the application of the Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 96), and the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), the Committee again requests the Government to send information on the activities carried out by the public employment service in order to achieve the best possible organization of the employment market, in particular by adapting its network of services to the needs of the economy and the active population. Furthermore, the Committee requests the Government to provide statistics on the number of public employment offices, job requests received, offers of employment notified and placements carried out by these offices, with particulars of the steps taken to meet the needs of employers and workers throughout the country.

3. Articles 4 and 5. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes that, referring to Article 4 of the Convention, the UGTD says that in order to strengthen the role and efficiency of the SNE, it would be appropriate to undertake an in-depth review of its purposes and activities with a view to redefining its functions, and to associate employers’ and workers’ organizations in the formulation of policies and strategies to improve the services offered. In its report received in October 2005, the Government said that it hoped that the national crisis in the trade unions would shortly be resolved with assistance from the ILO and that the conditions would be met to organize a national tripartite consultation at all levels, in the context of the organization and running of the SNE. The Committee expresses the firm hope that the Government will be in a position to report on the working of the tripartite consultative committees in order to secure the cooperation of representatives of the employers and workers in the organization and operation of the employment service, and in developing employment service policy.

4. Articles 7 and 8. Special needs of persons with disabilities and young people. The Government indicated in 2005 that section 8 of Act No. 75/AN/00 provides for the establishment of a vocational placement service, the role of which is to set up an employment and vocational training observatory and to implement programmes in response to the needs of the economy. The Committee reiterates its interest to be provided with information indicating whether a vocational placement service has actually been established and requests information on any progress made in this respect.

5. Article 9. Training of the staff of the employment service. The Committee again asks the Government to provide up to date information on the measures taken or planned to establish training for the staff of the SNE.

[The Government is asked to reply in detail to the present comments in 2008.]