Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) - Senegal (Ratification: 1962)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report, received in September 2011, merely states that there has been no change either in the legislation or in the methods of monitoring its application by the competent authorities. The Committee also takes note of the information provided by the Government in its 2010 report submitted under article 19 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization, as well as the observations made by the National Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Senegal (UNSAS) received in June 2010.

According to the report under article 19, the Government intends setting up a system of universal social protection to extend social coverage to all categories of persons at present excluded from social protection and has established a national social protection strategy to cover all citizens for this purpose. According to the Government, the issues of minimum income support and medical care for older persons are at present being examined; it also refers to the implementation of the SESAM plan to provide medical care for the elderly. The report specifies that ILO technical assistance is required to reform the social security system and draft the Social Security Code. Hoping that the Government will take the necessary steps to request ILO technical assistance, the Committee would be grateful if it could send a copy of the national social protection strategy drawn up by the Government as well as the plan to put in place a minimum old-age benefit for all Senegalese over 60 years of age.

In this context, the UNSAS points out that the social protection of workers made redundant on account of restructuring or the closing of enterprises is a major concern for the trade union organizations in Senegal but that, until now, no preliminary study has been carried out with a view to introducing unemployment benefit. The Government’s report under article 19 mentions, in this respect, the drafting of terms of reference for a feasibility study on introducing an unemployment benefit scheme. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide information, in its next report, on the progress made with respect to the feasibility study on introducing an unemployment benefit scheme.

According to the information provided by the Government in its report under article 19, the wage replacement rate for the old-age pension in the public sector is approximately 99 per cent, since pensions are based on officials’ contributions (12 per cent of the wage) and those of the State (23 per cent). In the private sector, however, the replacement rate is approximately 20 per cent, which does not provide for decent working conditions upon retirement. According to the Government, this low replacement rate is due to the inadequate resources of the Social Insurance Institute for Old-Age Pensions (IPRES), caused to a large extent by the scheme’s demographic imbalance (more retired persons than contributors), by considerable contribution evasion in social security and the low contributions themselves. The UNSAS adds that the existing system encourages contribution evasion and fraud, and that the absence of social security accounts at macroeconomic level means that any financial information is inaccessible. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether any studies or actuarial calculations have been recently carried out concerning the financial balance of the general scheme in application of Article 71(3) of the Convention, and to point out any measures taken or envisaged to curb contribution evasion in social security, to combat job insecurity and preserve jobs so that the level of contributions does not continue to decline.