Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2008, published 98th ILC session (2009)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Antigua and Barbuda (Ratification: 1983)

Article 5 of the Convention. Cooperation between the labour inspection and other government services or public institutions and collaboration with employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee notes that the Government’s report contains no reply to its previous comments on this point. The Government continues to mention efforts to establish collaboration between the inspection units and the Ministry of Health, without providing any information on the contents, the modalities and the results of such cooperation. The Committee is therefore bound, once again, to request the Government to supply detailed information on practical measures taken or contemplated to establish and develop this cooperation (for instance, through regular exchange of information and data, common training seminars or conferences, etc.).

The Government also reiterates, without giving further details, that the Labour Department collaborates with the trade unions. The Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention to Part II of the Labour Inspection Recommendation, 1947 (No. 81), which provides useful guidelines on the nature and type of measures that might be taken to encourage collaboration between labour inspectors and both workers and employers. The Committee requests the Government to provide in its next report specific examples of areas and forms of collaboration between labour inspection officials and the social partners and information on the impact of such collaboration on the improvement of conditions of work and protection of workers.

Articles 10 and 7, paragraph 3. Recruitment and training of new labour inspection staff. The Committee notes with interest that, according to the Government’s brief report, officers are being recruited and trained on labour inspection issues. It requests the Government to supply information on the number of officers recruited, and to describe the duties they have been assigned to, as well as their inspection activities in practice. The Government is further requested to describe the training they have received.

Articles 20 and 21. Annual report on the work of the labour inspection services. The Committee notes that the most recent inspection report transmitted to the ILO relates to the years 1994 and 1995. Drawing the Government’s attention to the importance for the central authority to prepare and publish an annual report to assess the functioning of the labour inspection system, the Committee hopes that the Government will soon be in a position to send such an annual report, containing the information on all the subjects listed in Article 21.