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

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Guyana (Ratification: 1998)

The Committee notes with concern that the Government’s report has not been received. It is therefore bound to repeat its previous comments.

Repetition

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy for the elimination of child labour. National action plan. The Committee previously noted that the Government reiterated its commitment to adopting a national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour in the country since 2001. The Committee also noted that, although the Government undertook a number of policy measures aimed at tackling child labour through education programmes, in particular under the ILO–IPEC project entitled “Tackle child labour through education” (TACKLE project), it continued to indicate that a National Plan of Action for Children (NPAC) was under development. The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not contain any new information in this regard. The Committee therefore once again urges the Government to strengthen its efforts to finalize the NPAC and to provide a copy of it in the very near future. Furthermore, noting the Government’s previous indication that the National Steering Committee on Child Labour – which had initiated and drafted a national action plan to eliminate and prevent child labour – is no longer functioning, the Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the measures taken or envisaged to finalize this process.

Article 3(3). Authorization to work in hazardous employment from the age of 16 years. In its previous comments, the Committee observed that section 6(b) of Act No. 9 of 1999 on the employment of young persons and children (hereafter Act No. 9 of 1999) grants the Minister discretion to authorize, through regulations, the engagement of young persons between the ages of 16 and 18 years in hazardous work. The Committee also observed that, although sections 41 and 46 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1997 (OSHA), aim to prevent young persons from undertaking employment activities that could impede their physical health or emotional development, the Government had identified difficulties in monitoring and enforcing those provisions. The Government accordingly indicated that Act No. 9 of 1999 would be amended to ensure that the protections afforded under the Act are extended to all young persons under the age of 18 years.

The Committee noted that the Government’s previous report did not contain any new information and merely stated that no ministerial regulations had been issued and that the OSHA provisions ensure that young persons between 16 and 18 years who are employed in hazardous work receive adequate specific vocational training. However, the Committee noted the inadequate measures for monitoring and enforcing the OSHA provisions and that, notwithstanding the significant number of children involved in hazardous work, only three such cases had been reported to the Government’s reporting mechanism.

The Committee notes with deep concern that the Government’s report provides no new information concerning the process of amending Act No. 9 of 1999, despite its repeated commitment over the years to do so. It once again draws the Government’s attention to paragraph 381 of the 2012 General Survey on the fundamental Conventions, which stresses that compliance with Article 3(3) of the Convention requires that any hazardous work for persons from the ages of 16 to 18 years be authorized only upon the conditions that the health, safety and morals of the young persons concerned are fully protected and that they, in practice, receive adequate specific vocational training. The Committee accordingly once again urges the Government to take measures to amend Act No. 9 of 1999 in the near future so as to ensure conformity with Article 3(3) of the Convention by providing adequate protection to young persons between the ages of 16 and 18, and to supply a copy of the amendments once they have been finalized. Moreover, recalling the Government’s indication that efforts are under way with the tripartite partners to include additional areas of work on the hazardous work list, the Committee requests the Government to supply a copy of this amended list once it becomes available.

Article 9(3). Keeping of registers. Following its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that section 86(a) of the OSHA, Chapter 99:10, provides for the obligation of employers of industrial establishments to record, and keep in a register, the prescribed particulars of all employees under the age of 18 years. The Committee requests that the Government indicate which provisions establish the same obligation for the employment of young persons under 18 years of age in non-industrial undertakings.

Labour inspection and practical application of the Convention. The Committee previously noted the results of the Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey identifying a high percentage of working children in the country. The Committee also noted the indication of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) that labour inspectors fail to effectively enforce the applicable legislation and that child labour was particularly prevalent in the informal economy.

In response, the Government simply indicated that its labour inspectors routinely conduct workplace inspections and that there had been no evidence of child labour. Nevertheless, the Committee noted a three-year programme which aimed to, among others, strengthen the capacity of national and local authorities in the formulation, implementation and enforcement of the legal framework on child labour and which would include a focus on child labour in the informal economy. Noting the absence of information provided in this respect, the Committee once again requests that the Government strengthen its efforts to combat child labour, including in the informal economy, and to provide information on the results achieved in this regard. Furthermore, recalling that the Government is establishing a baseline survey on child labour, the Committee again requests the Government to provide information concerning the results of the survey.

The Committee expects that the Government will make every effort to take the necessary action in the near future.