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The Committee notes the detailed report provided by the Government for the period ending in May 2009, including information on the initial measures adopted to overcome the impact of the global crisis on employment.
The Committee refers to its comments under the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), with regard to the observations communicated by the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) with the support of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on the impact of the measures introduced in the framework of the mechanism to support the Greek economy as of May 2010. The Committee notes in particular, that according to the GSEE, the measures adopted in this framework did not constitute a topic of social dialogue but were forwarded to Parliament for adoption with urgent procedures.
The Committee recalls as a general matter, the role to be played by active labour market measures in addressing the human dimension of the financial and economic crisis. In the 2009 Global Jobs Pact, the ILO agreed to “put the aim of full and productive employment and decent work at the heart of the crisis responses”. In its concluding remarks of the 2010 General Survey on employment instruments, the Committee further emphasized that social dialogue is essential in normal times and becomes even more so in times of crisis (paragraph 794 of the 2010 General Survey).
Given the new measures that have been adopted since the Government’s last report on the application of the Convention, the Committee requests the Government to monitor carefully the impact of the policy pursued in the framework of the international support mechanism and to provide a detailed report on the application of the Convention when the report is next due in 2011. The Committee will examine the comments by the GSEE along with the Government’s reply thereto, as well as the Government’s report which is due in 2011, at its next session.
1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends and active labour market measures. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed report received in November 2007 including replies to the 2005 direct request. The Government indicates that high development rates in recent years (namely, a growth in GDP of 3.7 per cent in 2005, 4.3 per cent in 2006 and 3.7 per cent in 2007) were not accompanied by a corresponding reduction in unemployment rates. In 2005, the unemployment rate fell, compared with that of 2004, and reached 9.8 per cent, while women’s unemployment rate reached 15.3 per cent, which is more than double the relevant men’s rate of 6.1 per cent. In 2006, the unemployment rate fell to 8.9 per cent, while both women’s and men’s unemployment rates showed a decrease and reached 13.6 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively. Over the same period, the employment rate has steadily increased, from 59.4 per cent in 2004 to 60.1 per cent in 2005 and 61 per cent in 2006, and the Government estimates that the employment rate should reach 64.1 per cent in 2010. In programmes designed to increase employment and reduce unemployment implemented by the Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED), priority is given to places to be covered by women. In the year 2005 and in the first quarter of 2006, 35,000 women benefited from national programmes and 1,500 participated in an integrated intervention which includes counselling to enter the job market or to start a business activity. The Committee further notes that the Government has passed a number of active measures to increase employment and flexibility. For example, by strengthening the institutional framework for flexible forms of employment and by passing an Act respecting working time arrangement (Act No. 3385/2005), changes will be brought about in the labour market for the benefit of both businesses and the labour force. Moreover, the Government indicates that it is in consultation with the social partners concerning the modernization of the labour law, with a view to meeting the developmental challenges of flexible forms of employment. The Committee also notes the Act on Investments No. 3522/2006, which entered into force early in 2007, which readjusts support rates on the basis of the new Regional Support Map and increases incentives to encourage private investments. The Committee asks the Government to provide information in its next report on the measures taken to generate sustainable employment and improve employment security for workers. It also asks the Government to provide information on the measures envisaged to increase the employment rate of women, the effects of national programmes targeting women and the effects of the Act on Investments No. 3522/2006 on job creation. The Committee would also appreciate continuing to receive information on the experience of the social partners with regard to the application of the Convention.
2. Means to promote employment of young people, older workers and workers with disabilities. The Government indicates that the youth unemployment rate fell between 2005 and 2006 but still remains high, 26 per cent and 25.2 per cent, respectively. OAED special programmes target young unemployed persons through the acquisition of work experience as well as with self-employment programmes. Also, Act No. 3227/2004 provides incentives to employers hiring unemployed young persons of up to 25 years of age. Tackling high youth unemployment is one of the policy areas in the National Reform Programme that needs to be addressed with the highest priority. As for older workers, the Committee notes that the Government has started to put more emphasis on active policies to address this category of persons, such as flexible pension schemes, lifelong learning aimed at improving skills of older persons and promotion of self-employment. The Committee also notes that the registration of persons with disabilities is being initiated for the first time by the National Observatory for People with Disabilities and that special analytical educational programmes and programmes to enhance the skills of persons with disabilities are being implemented. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on how the measures taken translate into productive and lasting employment opportunities for young people, older workers and workers with disabilities.
3. Educational and training policies. The Government indicates that the main policy priorities with regard to education and vocational training are as follows: qualitative upgrading and improvement of education and training systems; helping facilitate access to education and training systems; and increase in investment in human capital by means of improving education and upgrading skills. Increasing investments in human capital by modernizing education and training systems is provided by the Act on Lifelong Learning (Act No. 3369/2005). The Committee also notes that the social partners and other stakeholders participate in the National Lifelong Learning Committee. The Government further indicates that, in 2006, 75 counselling and guidance centres (KEYSP) and 570 counselling and vocational guidance offices (GRASEP) were operational and more than 500,000 persons benefited from their services. As for vocational training, the Committee notes that between 2000 and 2006, more than 130,000 unemployed persons and 95,000 workers acquired vocational training. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide details on the number of persons participating in educational and training programmes and the impact of these programmes on productive and lasting employment opportunities, particularly for young people and other categories of vulnerable workers.
The Committee notes the comprehensive information contained in the Government’s detailed report for the period ending in May 2005 as well as the replies in response to its 2003 direct request.
1. Employment trends and labour market measures. The Government indicates that for the period under consideration, the Greek economy has continued to grow rapidly, although this growth, quite fast in the run up to the Olympic Games, was slower in the second part of 2004. The rate of development rose by 4.7 per cent in 2003 and 4.2 per cent in 2004, exceeding by far the EU average. However, the economic growth has produced a limited effect in the field of employment. Total employment increased by 1.2 per cent in 2003 and 0.7 per cent in 2004, standing at 59.4 per cent of the population. But despite the increase in employment in 2004, the unemployment rate remained at a high level amounting to 10.5 per cent, with a female unemployment rate of 15 per cent, more than double that of men (6.2 per cent). In fact, the Government explains that the relatively low employment rate compared to the EU average (64.8 per cent) is due to a large extent to the very low employment rate of women and young persons. The Government further indicates that in accordance with the estimates of the updated Stability and Development Programme 2004-07, the employment rate should grow by 1.5 per cent yearly and the unemployment rate should fall by 0.5 per cent.
2. The basic component of the Greek employment policy is set forth in the guidelines of the European strategy and laid down in the 2004 National Action Plan for Employment, which puts emphasis for the first time equally on labour supply and demand. To this end, the reinforcement of the demand of several types of work and professional skills is emphasized as the major guideline of the Greek employment strategy, so that development may create new jobs to absorb unemployment. The role of development and taxation policy in the improvement of the business and investment climate is also stressed. The Government indicates that in order to promote the creation of new jobs, Act No. 3299 was adopted in 2004 and provides for the introduction, for the first time as an incentive, of a subsidy of the wage cost of new jobs created through investments. The Government also adopted in 2004, Act No. 3250 on part-time employment which allows the public sector and local self-government agencies to hire staff bound by a fix-term contract for part-time employment to meet the needs of citizens for social services. According to this Act, persons have to be recruited from particular social groups such as: unemployed persons over 30 years of age who have exceeded the period during which they were entitled to a regular unemployment benefit; unemployed persons who need to work for another five years in order to be entitled to pension; unemployed persons under the age of 30; mothers of under-aged children and persons with disability. With regard to measures to meet women’s special needs in employment, the Government indicates that in all the programmes designed to increase employment and reduce unemployment implemented by the Employment and Labour Organization (OAED), priority is given to women since 60 per cent of the posts to be filled are covered by women. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the labour market policy initiatives referred to in the report and their impact on employment creation, particularly the success rates of the measures implemented with a view for transferring part-time workers, women and youth into lasting employment (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).
3. Participation of the social partners. The Government reiterates that it endeavours to maintain and develop relations with the social partners, particularly in the context of the OAED. An example is the programme on integrated interventions, the implementation of which provides for the creation of a supporting structure, in which representatives of employers, employees, the OAED and the prefecture where the enterprise for which the specific programme is located, participate. The Committee trusts that the Government will continue to provide updated information on the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected are consulted with regard to employment policies (Article 3).
The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its reports for the period ending in May 2003.
1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Government states that the period under consideration has seen an improvement in the economic situation and a recovery of job creation principally as a result of the acceleration of economic growth. GDP grew, on average, by 3.8 per cent in the years 1997-2002, the activity rate rose to 55.4 per cent in 2002 (70.8 per cent for men and 40.9 per cent for women) and the unemployment rate fell by 1.3 per cent in relation to 2000, to the level of 9.6 per cent. The proportion of long-term unemployment among the unemployed fell by 3.6 per cent to the level of 52.8 per cent. The increase in employment has principally been registered in services and the secondary sector. The number of self-employed workers fell by 3.1 per cent. The unemployment rate for women has decreased (14 per cent in the last three months of 2002 versus 16.1 per cent for the same period in 2001), but remains high. There remain substantial differences between the regions in relation to employment and unemployment rates. In general, the lowest employment rates and the highest unemployment rates are to be found in Epirus and the West of Macedonia due to the lower level of economic development in these regions. The youth unemployment rate has fallen, partly due to the increased participation of young persons in training programmes.
2. The Government indicates that, despite this favourable economic situation, total employment during the period under consideration remained stagnant due to the long-term trend in the contraction of employment in the agricultural sector and an increase in the number of workers leaving their jobs following changes to the social security system. The Government states that one of the three fundamental principles on which its economic and social policy is based for the decade 2000-10 is the strengthening of competitiveness through accelerated development and the creation of new jobs. Various labour market policy measures have been adopted for this purpose, including the Budget Act of 2002, which grants fiscal incentives to enterprises creating jobs, and the Tax Act on Corporate Governance that provides for social policy measures, among which is the granting of a special disbursement to the long-term unemployed who have a very low family income and have exceeded the period during which they were entitled to a regular benefit. The Committee asks the Government to continue providing information on the various labour market policy measures referred to in the reports and their impact on employment. It also requests additional information on policies in the fields of training, vocational rehabilitation and retraining, as well as on measures to improve labour productivity.
3. The Government has introduced a "Programme of new jobs" in 2002 which comprises a variety of active labour market measures and modifies the criteria for distribution of jobs by the Prefecture and Employment Service. The new distribution criteria are based on the following parameters: the period of time registered unemployed with the Prefecture and Employment Service, the completion of demand of enterprise requests, and the data provided by the National Statistical Service of Greece (ESYE). The Government also explains that the ESYE has recently introduced modifications in the collection of data for labour force surveys that will provide a more accurate overall picture of the labour market and improve their quality. The Committee notes this information and hopes that the Government will continue to report on further developments in this respect including details on the eventual data and conclusions drawn from updated ESYE Population Census and Labour Force Surveys.
4. Article 3. The Government indicates that it endeavours to maintain and develop relations with the social partners, particularly in the context of the Employment and Labour Organization (OAED) and the Management Committee of the Employment and Vocational Training Fund (LAEK). The Committee hopes that the Government will continue to provide information on the manner in which the representatives of the persons affected are consulted with regard to employment policies, with an indication of the manner in which their views are taken into consideration in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of employment programmes and policies.
The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report for the period 1 June 1998 to 31 May 2000.
1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Government states that the labour force grew by 0.7 per cent between 1998 and 1999, in large part due to an increase in the participation rate of women and immigrants. Employment grew by 0.1 per cent during 1998-99. Unemployment increased from 11.1 per cent in 1998 to 11.7 per cent in 1999, largely because of the increased participation of women and immigrants, and migration to urban areas. The regions with the highest unemployment were Epirus and West Macedonia. Women and young jobseekers comprise the bulk of the unemployed; however, employment of women during 1988-98 increased by 14 per cent.
2. The Committee notes the various measures the Government has taken to promote employment, including modernizing the labour market, improving skills match, establishing employment promotion centres, and targeted programmes for women, young jobseekers, and the long-term unemployed. It also notes the objectives the Government has set for itself in the near future, including: creating 300,000 new posts in 2000-04, providing 75,000 new training spots, restructuring the public employment service, and establishing a system to certify skill. The Committee also notes that although the report is very detailed concerning the problems identified and intended actions, it does not contain any indications of outcomes of specific programmes. However, the Government states that an evaluation of the certification programme is due in 2003, and that it is undertaking an electronic monitoring of policies. The Committee would appreciate receiving detailed information on the impact of the various programmes as it becomes available.
3. Article 3. The Committee notes with interest the Government’s statement that it has been working closely with the social partners and that it views their input as essential in all stages of policy formation, implementation, financing and evaluation. In particular, the social partners participate in the National Training Institute, the Monitoring Committee and the Programme for Professional Education and Training (EPEAEK). The Government adds that it intends to work more closely with the social partners in the future to ensure consensus. The Committee looks forward to receiving further information on how representatives of workers, employers and other persons affected by the measures taken are consulted concerning employment policies, with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation.
1. Further to previous comments, the Committee notes the information contained in the Government's report for the period ending May 1998. According to the Government, the growth rate of GDP has been high recently and reached 3.5 per cent in 1997. Employment increased by an average of 0.9 per cent per year for the period 1994-97 while the labour force increased by a yearly average of 1.5 per cent. Unemployment has increased from 9.6 per cent in 1994 to 10.4 per cent in both 1996 and 1997, due to an increase in the labour force, urban migration, automation of production processes, limits on public sector spending, increased immigration and increased labour force participation of women. The groups most affected by the sluggish growth of employment are youth, women, and workers with a secondary level of education.
2. The Committee notes that according to the employment service (OECD), youth unemployment has steadily increased from 23.3 per cent in 1990 to 32.1 per cent in 1998. The Government indicates that for 1998 the Creation of New Jobs (CNJ) programme is targeted on the young and long-term unemployed. The programme consists of two stages: a stage of subsidized practical experience lasting two months, and a stage of subsidized employment lasting 16 months for males (18 months in areas of high unemployment) and 20 months for females. There are also additional employment subsidy programmes to promote the hiring of young people. The Committee would appreciate if the Government would include in its next report information on the progress of these various programmes in tackling the high rate of youth unemployment in Greece.
3. The Government also states that women form 60.7 per cent of the unemployed and 36.7 per cent of the employed in 1997. The OECD statistics indicate that the unemployment rate for women has increased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 17.8 per cent in 1998, and that the incidence of long-term unemployment amongst women has been increasing during the same period. The Committee notes that some of the OECD programmes described in the Government's report indicate exceptional provisions for encouraging the hiring of women, such as longer periods of employment subsidy. The Committee would appreciate receiving further information on the impact of these provisions on increasing employment among women seeking work, and on any other programmes under consideration, as requested in the report form under Article 1 of the Convention on trends concerning particular categories of workers frequently having difficulties in finding lasting employment.
4. The Government explains that the impact of the broader economic and social context on employment policies is given consideration through the Community Structural Framework for 1994-1999 (CSF II). The Government states that the average yearly number of new jobs is 1.7 per cent of the labour force, and projects that it will reach 2.3 to 3 per cent in the period 1997-2000. The Committee would appreciate being kept informed of the impact of the CSF II and other programmes on attaining the objectives of the Convention.
1. The Committee notes the Government's report for the period ending in May 1996. Referring also to the data published by the OECD, the Committee notes that employment growth during the period was not sufficient to absorb the growth of the active population and that the unemployment rate, which stood at 9.6 per cent in 1994, reached 10.4 per cent in 1996. The worrying trends in the distribution of unemployment already noted by the Committee have been confirmed: the unemployment rate of women is double that of men despite a considerably lower activity rate, the unemployment rate among young people is almost 28 per cent and 50 per cent of the unemployed have been seeking work for more than a year. The Committee notes that, in the Government's opinion, the restructuring of industrial enterprises and migration flows are the main causes of the persistent labour market problems.
2. The Committee notes the information concerning the various labour market policy measures which aim, in particular, to encourage the recruitment of certain categories of unemployed experiencing special difficulty in finding employment through subsidies to enterprises, to promote self-employment among young graduates and to encourage geographical mobility. It notes the evaluation findings which were able to be collected on the effectiveness of some of these programmes and asks the Government to continue to provide information on how they are adapted to take account of the results achieved. The Committee also notes the information concerning the modernization of employment services. It asks the Government to provide full information on progress made in this respect in its next report on the application of Convention No. 88.
3. With regard to the requests it has been making on this matter for many years, the Committee regrets to note that the Government's report is confined to a description only of labour market policy measures, but contains none of the information required by the report form on how general and sectoral economic policies contribute "within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy" to the pursuit of employment objectives, in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee again recalls that an employment policy which is consistent with the Convention covers other aspects of economic and social policy than those for which the Ministry of Labour is responsible, and trusts that the Government will provide full information in it its next report on the measures taken with regard to investment policy, budgetary and monetary policy, trade policy, prices, incomes and wages policy, industrial and regional development policy, and education and training policy, in order to promote "as a major goal" full, productive and freely chosen employment. It again asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the convergence programme (1994-99) and its impact -- noted or expected -- on employment.
4. Article 3. The Committee notes that Act No. 2232 of 31 August 1994 established an Economic and Social Committee in which employers' and workers' representatives participate. It asks the Government to state whether this institution has a say in the formulation and application of the employment policy within the meaning of the Convention.
1. The Committee notes the Government's report for the period ending June 1994. Supplemented by information from the OECD, the data provided by the Government show a continued rise in the unemployment rate from the previous period. The rate of unemployment, which was 8.7 per cent in 1992, rose to 9.7 per cent in 1993 and 9.6 per cent in 1994. According to the most recent OECD estimates, it was to rise further in 1995 to nearly 10 per cent. Furthermore, the Government confirms that young persons under 25 years of age (who account for over 40 per cent of total unemployment) and women are the categories of the population most affected. Over half of unemployed persons have been without a job for more than one year and the urban unemployment rate, which has risen once again, is triple the rural unemployment rate. The level and structure of unemployment remain a matter of particular concern.
2. The Government provides new information in its report on the labour market policy measures that it is implementing and their scope. The Committee notes the particular importance of programmes of subsidies for the creation of jobs, for self-employment and for the mobility of the workforce. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supplement the information provided on the number of beneficiaries of these programmes with information on the results achieved in terms of long-term integration into employment. The Committee notes in this respect that an evaluation of the principal employment and training programmes has been requested by the Manpower Employment Organization (OAED). The Committee requests the Government to supply the main findings of this evaluation as soon as they are available.
3. The Committee, which is grateful for the information supplied, is nevertheless bound to recall that an active employment policy in the meaning of the Convention cannot be confined to labour market measures. It regrets in this respect that the report does not contain the information that has been requested on several occasions on the manner in which overall and sectoral development policies contribute to the pursuance of employment objectives "in the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy", in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee trusts that the Government's next report will contain full information, in reply to the questions in the report form approved by the Governing Body, on the measures adopted in the fields of investment policy, budgetary and monetary policies, trade policy, prices, incomes and wages policies, industrial and regional development policies, and education and training policies, with a view to the promotion, "as a major goal", of full, productive and freely chosen employment. Furthermore, it once again requests the Government to supply information on the implementation of the convergence programme (1994-99) and its expected impact on employment.
4. Finally, the Committee notes that the report does not supply new information on the consultation of the representatives of the persons affected, and in particular of representatives of employers and workers, who only seem to be associated with the Administrative Council of the OAED. With reference once again to its previous requests, the Committee recalls that the consultation of the persons affected required by Article 3 of the Convention should be extended to all economic policy measures which have an impact on employment, "with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies". It hopes that the Government will soon be in a position to report progress in the application of this fundamental provision of the Convention.
1. The Committee notes the Government's report for the period ending June 1992 and the information contained therein in answer to its previous direct request. According to the information provided by the Government and to OECD data, the unemployment rate continued to increase during the period, reaching 9.2 per cent in 1992, compared to 7.6 per cent in 1990. The disparities in the distribution of unemployment became even more marked, in that the increase was greatest among categories of workers whose unemployment rate was already the highest, such as women and young people under 25, while the deterioration was most marked in urban areas. Furthermore, long-term unemployment accounts for more than 50 per cent of total unemployment. The Committee observes that since the end of the reporting period the labour market situation has continued to deteriorate in the context of the structural adjustment policy being implemented since 1991: according to OECD estimates, the unemployment rate reached 10 per cent in 1993. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide detailed statistics on the level and trends of the active population, employment, underemployment and unemployment in the various sectors of activity and for the different categories of the population.
2. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government on the various employment promotion measures. It notes in particular that the programmes to subsidize the creation of new jobs or self-employment for young people and the long-term unemployed are being pursued, as is the programme for the rehabilitation of the disabled. It also notes the information on the OAED rapid vocational training programme. It asks the Government to continue to provide information on the above measures indicating the results obtained in terms of the long-term integration of those concerned in the labour market.
3. The Committee notes the information contained in the report on the different measures for intervening in the labour market, and the arrangements made by the public administration with regard to the employment and training of its own agents. It notes, however, from the OECD and EC Commission surveys two trends on which it would appreciate information in the next report: the relatively high share of "passive" public expenditure in the labour market policy budget (approximately two-thirds of the total in 1991) and the substantial reduction, implemented or planned, of the strength of the public sector in the broad sense of the term, as a result of restructuring and privatization. The Committee recalls that the pursuit of an active employment policy within the meaning of the Convention extends to other aspects of economic and social policy likely to have an effect on employment. The Committee refers in this connection to its previous direct request and to the questions in the report form, and trusts that the next report will contain the information required on general and sectoral development policies and how they contribute, within the framework of the coordinated economic and social policy, to achieving employment objectives (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention). Please indicate in particular how their effects on employment were taken into consideration when the Medium-Term Adjustment Programme for 1991-93 and the convergence programme for 1993-98 were prepared.
4. The Committee notes the indication that the decisions of the Administrative Council of the OAED concerning the programmes for subsidizing employment and training are taken in consultation with representatives of the employers' and workers' organizations. It would be grateful if the Government would state the procedure adopted for this purpose. More generally, it again asks the Government to provide complete information on the way in which representatives of the persons affected are consulted on employment policies within the meaning of the Convention, particularly within the framework of the implementation of the stabilization and structural reform programme with a view to "securing their full cooperation and enlisting support for such policies", in accordance with Article 3 of the Convention.
1. The Committee notes the Government's reports for the period ending June 1990 and June 1991, and the information in reply to its previous direct request. It notes that the statistics provided by OECD reports and surveys show, for the period under consideration, a slight growth in employment at an annual rate of 0.4 per cent and a stabilisation of unemployment at a rate of 7.2 per cent in 1990. However, the unemployment rate then increased rapidly to attain 8.6 per cent in 1991. The Committee notes that the employment statistics supplied by the Government refer only to the public sector and hopes that the next report will contain detailed statistical information on the level and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment in the various sectors and as they affect particular categories of workers.
2. The Committee notes the employment promotion measures described by the Government. It notes the provisions respecting employment subsidies which are designed to promote the employment of categories of the population experiencing particular difficulties, such as women, young persons, the long-term unemployed and the disabled. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply information in its next report on the implementation of these provisions and assessments of their impact on the employment of the categories of workers concerned. The Committee also notes the information concerning the composition and functions of the National Council for Vocational Training and Employment (ESEKA) and the progressive establishment of vocational training and development committees responsible, at the regional and prefectural levels, for coordination between vocational training and employment. It also notes the information concerning the Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED) and training establishments. Please supply further information on the training and retraining programmes that have been established and the manner in which their impact on the employment of the persons concerned is evaluated.
3. In order to enable it to make a full assessment of the manner in which an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment is applied, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply further information on its labour market policy by providing the information requested in the report form on overall and sectoral development policies and the manner in which they contribute, within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy, to the achievement of employment objectives (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).
4. Finally, the Committee wishes to point out that the Convention provides not only for consultations with representatives of the persons affected during the formulation of employment policies, but also the collaboration of representatives of employers and workers for the implementation of these policies. Furthermore, as the Committee has already emphasized in its general survey on these instruments, consultations should also cover all aspects of employment policy which have an impact on employment. In view of these considerations, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply appropriate information on the manner in which effect is given to the provisions of Article 3, in the sense indicated above, particularly within the context of the stabilisation programme and the structural reforms formulated after the period covered by the Government's report.
The Committee notes that the Government's report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:
The Committee takes note of the Government's report for the period ending June 1988 and of the statistical information and other documents concerning the situation of the labour market, forwarded in connection with its previous comments. On the basis of this information, along with the information contained in the latest OECD report "Employment Prospects" (July 1989), the Committee notes in particular the following trends: an increase in employment, apparently due essentially to the increase in part-time employment, stability in the unemployment rate (7.4 per cent) though with a slight increase in 1988-89, a large proportion of long-term unemployed (42 per cent of total unemployed), an unemployment rate of 25 per cent among young people of 14 to 24 years of age.
In its report, the Government indicates the measures taken to improve the employment situation in the public sector (Act No. 1735 of 1987) and to secure free negotiation of standards, working conditions and the remuneration of employees since 1 January 1988. Measures have also been adopted by the Manpower Employment Office (OAED) to generate employment for people with specific needs. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide regular detailed reports, containing indications as to the impact of the above measures on the employment market. It recalls that the preparation of a full report on the Convention may require consultation with ministries or government agencies other than those responsible for labour matters. It also asks the Government to refer in its next report to the following points:
1. Please describe the principal employment policy measures currently being implemented and the relationships between employment policy objectives and other economic and social objectives. Please describe the general and sectoral development policies and the procedures adopted to ensure that the effects on employment of measures taken to promote economic development or other economic and social objectives receive due consideration, at both the planning and the implementation stages (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).
2. Please describe and evaluate the measures planned by the Manpower Employment Office (OAED) to meet the needs of particular categories of workers such as women, young people, long-term unemployed adults, migrant workers.
3. Please provide information on measures to adjust labour to structural changes, particularly in connection with the measures to restructure state enterprises which are being studied or implemented by the Office for the Restructuring of Enterprises (OAE).
4. Please provide additional information on policies and measures concerning balanced regional development, if possible with an assessment of their impact with regard to the promotion of the objectives set out in Article 1 of the Convention. Part VII of Recommendation No. 169 appended to the report form may be a useful reference in this connection.
5. The Committee notes with interest the proposal to establish a national council for vocational training and a labour institute. Please provide indications on any developments in the legislation and on the measures taken or under consideration to co-ordinate education and training policies with employment prospects.
6. The Committee takes note of the measures adopted to ensure productive work in the public sector. Please provide general information on the measures adopted to ensure that work is as productive as possible in the other sectors of the economy. Please also indicate the action taken as a result of the preparatory mission conducted by an ILO expert, referred to by the Government in its report, to inform the appropriate officials of the Ministry of Labour on the question of linking remuneration for work with productivity.
7. Please provide more detailed information on the way in which the OAED takes account of the experience and views of the representatives of the persons concerned, including, for example, representatives of persons working in the rural sector, in the preparation and implementation of employment policy (Article 3).