Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129) - Netherlands (Ratification: 1973)

Other comments on C129

Observation

Direct Request

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The Committee notes the observations made by the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV), the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions (CNV) and the Trade Union Federation of Professionals (VCP) (formerly the Trade Union Confederation of Middle and Higher Level Employees’ Unions (MHP)), as well as the joint observations made by the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO–NCW) and the Royal Association of Dutch SME Entrepreneurs (MKB Netherlands), communicated by the Government with its report.

Follow-up to the recommendations of the tripartite committee (representation made under article 24 of the Constitution of the ILO)

The Committee notes that the report of the committee set up to examine the representation alleging non-observance by the Netherlands of the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129), and the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), made under article 24 of the ILO Constitution by the FNV, the CNV and the VCP was adopted by the Governing Body at its 322nd Session (November 2014).

The Committee refers the Government to its comments under Convention No. 81 concerning the follow-up given to the recommendations in the report of the tripartite committee, which relate to the application of Articles 3(1) and (2) and 10 (workload of labour inspector and time spent on administrative tasks), Article 5(a) (cooperation between the labour inspection services and other government services and public or private institutions engaged in similar activities), Article 7(3) (training of labour inspectors), Articles 10 and 16 (number of labour inspectors and frequency of labour inspections), Article 14 (notification of occupational diseases), Article 15(c) (principle of the confidentiality of complaints). These provisions correspond to Articles 6(1) and (2) and 14; Article 12; Article 9(3); Articles 14 and 21; Article 19; and Article 20(c) of the Convention.

The Committee notes the indications provided by the Government in response to the Committee’s previous request concerning the training of labour inspectors in agriculture (Article 9) and the conclusion of so-called occupational safety and health catalogues in the agricultural sector (Article 13).

Articles 26 and 27. Annual report on the work of the labour inspection services in agriculture. The Committee notes that the Government has once again not communicated a report on the work of the labour inspection services in agriculture (either as a separate report or as part of its general annual report). However, it notes that the Government has provided statistical information in its report communicated to the ILO in 2015 on the number of agricultural workplaces liable to inspection, the number of labour inspections in agriculture, the number of violations detected and penalties imposed. It notes that no information is available on occupational accidents and diseases in the agricultural sector, but that such information was provided by the Government in its report communicated to the ILO in 2014. The Committee requests the Government, once again, to publish and send to the ILO an annual report on the work of the inspection services in agriculture, in accordance with Article 26(1) of the Convention, either as a separate report or as part of its general annual report.