Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Ratification: 1998)

The Committee notes with deep 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. The Committee informs the Government that, if it has not supplied replies to the points raised by 1 September 2020, then it may proceed with the examination of the application of the Convention on the basis of the information at its disposal at its next session.

Repetition

Articles 10, 16, 17 and 18 of the Convention. Number of inspectors, number of inspection visits and enforcement. The Committee notes that the Government has not provided the requested information on the prevention and enforcement activities by the Department of Labour during the reporting period, and that no relevant statistical information has been provided, such as on the number of inspections, infringements of the law or measures with immediate force in the event of imminent danger to the health or safety of workers.

With regard to the available human resources, the Committee notes the Government’s indications that the limited staff at the Department of Labour does not allow for an acceptable amount of workplace inspections, that is, only four labour officers are carrying out labour inspection functions, in addition to the other functions with which they are entrusted. The Committee also notes the Government’s reference to measures for an increased number of labour inspections per labour officer as from 2013 without providing further information.

With reference to its previous comments on the insufficient number of labour inspectors and labour inspections and the absence of any prosecutions for labour law violations, the Committee expresses the firm hope that on the occasion of yearly budgetary decisions, the comprehensive statistical labour inspection reports, which according to the Government, are expected to be published separately as from 2014, will allow the Labour Department to draw the attention of the competent authorities to the specific needs of the labour inspection system for more human resources in order to better ensure law enforcement in the area of conditions of work, and the protection of workers while engaged in their work. The Committee once again requests the Government to endeavour to the fullest possible extent to ensure that adequate human resources are allocated to the labour inspectorate with due regard for the importance of the duties which inspectors have to perform and the number of workplaces liable to inspections and the workers employed therein. In this regard, it requests the Government to provide further information on the above measures referred to by the Government and whether it is envisaged, in the framework of the current legislative reform, to create new positions for labour inspectors, which are solely charged with the enforcement of legal provisions relating to conditions of work and the protection of workers while engaged in their work.

With reference to its observation under this Convention, the Committee requests the Government to provide with its next report information as detailed as possible on the industrial and commercial places liable to inspection, the number of labour inspectors and inspection visits, as well as the results of inspections (that is, the number of violations detected, the legal provisions to which they relate, sanctions applied if applicable, etc.). Please include such information in the annual reports on labour inspection.