Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Ratification: 2010)

The Committee notes with concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It expects that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments initially made in 2013.

Repetition

The Committee refers to its comments under the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), in so far as they are concerned with the application of the present Convention.

Article 9. Adequate training of labour inspectors. The Committee notes the Government’s indications that new recruits for the position of labour officer are trained for the job by shadowing experienced labour officers during the exercise of their duties. It further notes that, according to the Government, in 2011, all labour officers (four) took part in a training course organised by the ILO Subregional Office in Port-of-Spain, which was the only formal training during the reporting period. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided any information on whether these training sessions also concerned subjects specifically relating to agriculture. The Committee emphasizes the importance of ensuring that labour inspectors working in the agricultural sector receive appropriate training, which takes into account the development of technology and working methods and the risks associated with the use of machines and tools and with the handling of products and chemical substances to which workers and their families are exposed. It therefore reiterates its request to indicate the subjects, attendance and frequency of training activities provided to labour inspectors (including any new labour inspectors who might have been recruited in view of the insufficient human resources as observed by the Government under Convention No. 81) to enable them to acquire the technical knowledge required for the performance of their duties in agriculture.

Article 15. Transportation facilities. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided a reply to its previous request relating to the above Article. The Committee therefore once again asks the Government to specify the number of vehicles at the disposal of the labour inspectorate for the conduct of inspection visits, and to provide more information on the monthly travel allowances paid to offset the costs incidental to the performance of their duties (amount, procedure for reimbursement, etc.). If applicable, please also provide a copy of the forms used to pay these allowances.

Articles 26 and 27. Reporting obligations on the activities of the labour inspection services. Referring to its observations under Convention No. 81 in this regard and recalling the importance of publishing a consolidated annual inspection report as part of a mechanism for the ongoing improvement of the functioning of the labour inspection system, the Committee asks the Government to forward to the ILO, in accordance with Article 26 of the Convention, an annual report on the work of the labour inspection services in agriculture, either as a separate report, or as part of its general annual report, containing the information required in Article 27(a)–(g) of the Convention.