Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) - Mali (Ratification: 1962)

The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Repetition

Article 1(b) of the Convention. Labour or services exacted for purposes of economic development. In its previous comments, the Committee drew the Government’s attention to the fact that section L6(2) of the Labour Code was not in conformity with the Convention. According to this provision, “work required in the public interest by legislative provisions on … participation in development” is not considered to be forced or compulsory labour. In accordance with Article 1(b) of the Convention, the State undertakes to suppress and not to make use of any form of forced or compulsory labour as a method of mobilizing and using labour for purposes of economic development. In previous reports, the Government indicated that the provisions of section L6(2) of the Labour Code had never been applied in practice and that no decree or order had been adopted to give effect to them. It indicated that it would take steps, in the context of a review of the Labour Code, to ensure compliance with the Convention on this point.

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government that the provisions concerned have been removed from the draft revision of the Labour Code. The Committee trusts that the draft will be adopted in the near future and that the Government will be able to supply information on the progress made in its next report. Please provide a copy of the text amending the Labour Code.