Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2007, published 97th ILC session (2008)

The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in October 2006 in reply to its previous comments. The Government indicates in its report that, since 1 January 2006, the amount of the guaranteed minimum interoccupational wage (SMIG), which had not changed since 1980, has been increased by around 50 per cent, which has resulted de facto in an increase in the level of pensions. While noting this information with interest, the Committee recalls that no adjustment of pensions had taken place for over 25 years to take into account inflation and follow fluctuations in the general level of earnings in the country. So as to be in a better position to assess the effect of the increase in the SMIG on the level of social security benefits, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate in its next report the benefits covered by this increase, their new minimum amounts and the resulting replacement rate in relation to the reference wage of an ordinary adult male labourer determined in accordance with the methodology envisaged in Article 66 of the Convention. With regard to the extent to which the total value of family benefit attains the level prescribed by Article 44 of the Convention, the Committee requests the Government to redo the calculation based on the reference wage referred to above or the amount of the SMIG if it corresponds to the wage actually received by an ordinary labourer.

The Government also indicates in its report that the conclusions of the actuarial study of the National Social Security Fund carried out with the technical assistance of the International Labour Office (actuarial evaluation of the National Social Security Fund as at 31 December 2002, ILO/RP/Niger/R.13, Geneva, ILO, February 2005) have been amended and strengthened in a tripartite context and have given rise to proposals for the reform of certain rules governing the operation of the Fund and the legal framework for certain benefits, including pensions. In this context, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures envisaged for the introduction of an automatic indexation mechanism for pensions as proposed in the above study and once again requests it to provide full statistical data on the adjustment of current periodical payments as required by the report form on the Convention under Title VI of Article 65. Furthermore, it draws the Government’s attention to the obligation to provide a reduced old-age pension, in accordance with Article 29, paragraph 2, of the Convention, instead of the old-age allowance in the form of a lump sum which is currently payable, to a person who has completed a qualifying period of 15 years of contribution or employment, without however fulfilling the requirement of 20 years of insurance coverage prescribed in section 13(1)(a) of Decree No. 67-025 of 1967. In this respect, the actuarial study shows that greater flexibility in the criteria for entitlement to periodical payments for retirement so that they are payable after only 15 years of affiliation to the scheme would only result in a slight increase in the cost of the old-age branch in the long term. With regard to the need to reduce from six to three months the qualifying period for entitlement to family allowances, in accordance with Article 43 of the Convention, the Committee notes the readiness of the Government to envisage this adaptation as soon as the economic situation of Niger and of its social security institution so permits. The Committee hopes that the Government will ensure that these issues are fully taken into account in the current process of social security reform and that it will indicate the progress achieved in its next report.