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

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

The Committee takes note of the Government’s report received on 7 December 2009 as well as the information provided to the ILO during the period covered by the report.

Article 7 of the Convention. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would keep the ILO informed in due course of any developments concerning the survey on the economically active population.

Article 8. The Committee notes that the last population census was conducted in 2009. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide methodological information and data of the economically active population based on its 2009 population census.

Article 9(1). Available information in the ILO shows that statistics of average monthly earnings of employees continue to be compiled monthly, quarterly and annually (in all sectors of the economy); annual reports provide wages statistics by sex (in December of each year, covering all types of enterprises and organizations, except small private enterprises); and statistics of average monthly hours actually worked continue to be collected and compiled monthly and cover organizations/businesses of all forms of ownership, except small private enterprises (not disaggregated by sex).

Article 9(2). The Committee notes that since 1994, annual statistics of occupational wage rates, normal hours of work, average earnings and hours actually worked, for selected occupations and by occupational group in specific industries, have been compiled by the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis. The survey covers employees who worked full time throughout the month of October and are available by sex.

The Committee also notes with interest in relation to Articles 5 and 6, that “Wages and salaries in the Republic of Belarus” (average monthly wages and salaries according to various classifications) can be found on Belarus website. It notes that statistics of average monthly earnings and average monthly hours actually work, for the economy as a whole, and agriculture (total only) are provided directly to the ILO for publication in the ILO Yearbook of Labour Statistics. It notes that the latest data refer to 2008.

The Committee also notes that statistics of average wage rates and normal hours of work, average earnings and hours actually worked by occupation and by sex are provided each year for publication in Statistics on occupational wages and hours of work and on food prices – October inquiry results. The most recent data refer to October 2003 for wage rates and normal hours of work, and October 2007 for earnings and hours actually worked.

While noting with interest the information provided by the Government that the OKEhD is fully consistent with the NACE, and that this will permit the dissemination of the statistics by economic activity for international comparisons, the Committee encourages the Government to continue to provide the statistics listed above in a timely manner.

The Committee also draws the Government’s attention to the new international standards concerning the measurement of working time (see Resolution I adopted by the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (available at http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Statistics/standards/
resolutions/lang--en/docName--WCMS_112455/index.htm, whose larger number of concepts and measures would seem to be better aligned to national practice).

Articles not accepted according to Article 16(4).

Article 11. The Committee notes with interest that statistics of average monthly labour cost have been published. The Committee asks the Government to communicate to the ILO the relevant methodology, in accordance with Article 6, and to keep the ILO informed of the future developments of the labour cost survey.

Article 12. Recalling that the Government stated in a previous report its intention to accept the obligations under this Article, the Committee requests it to indicate any development in this regard.

Article 13. The Committee encourages the Government to send relevant information on household income and expenditure statistics with a view towards the eventual acceptance of this article.

Article 14. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to report on the position of its laws and practice with respect to statistics of occupational injuries and diseases.

Article 15. The Committee notes with interest the progress made regarding the transmission with his report of summary methodological information and updated statistics of industrial disputes (Article 6). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would ensure such transmission on an annual basis. It also requests it to inform the ILO in due course of any steps it may take to disaggregate these statistics by industry and for the number of workers involved, days not worked or rates of days not worked.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

The Committee takes note of the Government’s report and the replies given to its previous direct request. The Committee invites the Government to supply in its next report further information on the following points.

1. Concepts, definitions and methodology. Article 2 of the Convention. Please indicate measures taken or envisaged with a view to adopting a classification of economic activities compatible with the General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE) or the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC).

2. Communication of statistics to the ILO. Article 5. Please ensure that the statistical series "Work and employment in the Republic of Belarus", as well as other labour statistics published are communicated regularly to the International Labour Office. Please provide labour data broken down by economic activity since 1994, either directly, or in reply to the forthcoming questionnaires of the Yearbook of Labour Statistics.

3. Active population, employment and unemployment. Article 7. Please indicate the measures taken or envisaged to conduct the survey on the economically active population.

4. Obligations not accepted. Article 16(3) and (4). The Committee notes with interest that surveys on labour costs in companies have been conducted since 1999 and have been progressively extended to various branches of activity which gives effect to Article 11 of the Convention concerning statistics on labour cost and could enable the Government to envisage accepting the obligations pursuant to this Article. The Committee further takes note of the information on consumer price indices and recalls that the Government in a previous report stated its intention to accept the obligations under Article 12. It also takes note of the information on statistics of household expenditure to which Article 13 of the Convention refers. Finally, the Committee invites the Government to continue to supply information on measures taken or envisaged to compile statistics on occupational injuries and diseases (Article 14) and industrial disputes (Article 15).

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report. It asks the Government to provide further information on the following points:

Article 7 of the Convention.  The Committee asks the Government to supply to the ILO employment data from 1994 onwards (either directly or in reply to the next round of the Bureau of Statistics’ Yearbook of Labour Statistics questionnaires). It also asks the Government to provide information on the progress of the planned labour force survey.

Article 8.  The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the size of the economically active population and the number of employed and unemployed persons will be calculated on the basis of the population census carried out in February 1999. It asks the Government to send the census results to the ILO as soon as practicable in accordance with Article 5.

Article 9.  The Committee asks the Government to ensure that all the relevant statistics, and in particular statistics of average earnings by sex, and statistics of average hours actually worked by branch of economic activity, and if possible by sex, are regularly sent to the ILO, in accordance with Article 5.

Article 16.  The Committee notes the information in respect of Articles 11 to 15, under which the obligations have not been accepted. The Committee is making the following remarks with the purpose of clarifying the extent to which effect is already given to these provisions. Regarding Article 11, the Committee notes with interest that it was planned to conduct the first labour cost survey in 1999, with reference to 1997 and 1998. It asks the Government to keep the ILO informed of the development, the results and the methodology of this survey. With respect to Article 12, the Committee noted in its previous direct request that the Government had intended to accept the obligations of Article 12 of the Convention. In the absence of information on this point in the Government’s report, it again hopes that the necessary procedures will soon be accomplished, in accordance with Article 16, paragraph 3.

Regarding Articles 13 to 15, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would continue to state the position of its law and practice with respect to statistics covered by Articles 13 (household expenditure), 14 (occupational injuries and occupational diseases) and 15 (industrial disputes), in accordance with Article 16, paragraph 4.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 83rd ILC session (1996)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous comments, in particular on Articles 3, 7 (in connection with Article 2) and 10 of the Convention.

Article 7. The Committee notes that the available methodological information on both employment and unemployment statistics is only very fragmentary. It again requests the Government to provide further information in accordance with Article 6.

Article 8. The Committee notes the Government's indication that information provided by censuses will be sent to the ILO and hopes that the published statistics as well as relevant methodological information will be communicated to the ILO as soon as practicable, in accordance with Articles 5 and 6.

Article 9. The Committee notes that, according to the Government's report, statistics of time worked are being compiled monthly and annually. Noting however that no statistics of hours of work have been transmitted to the ILO, the Committee requests the Government to make sure with the State Committee on Statistics and Analysis (GOSKOMSTAT) that the published statistics of average hours actually worked will be supplied to the ILO as soon as practicable, in accordance with Article 5.

Article 9(2). The Committee also notes from the report that a sample survey called the "October Survey" was conducted in accordance with the ILO Recommendations on the level of remuneration. Please state whether this survey will provide statistics of average wage rates by occupation, together with normal/contractual hours of work.

Article 10. The Committee notes that the statistics compilation "Employment and Remuneration in the Republic of Belarus" to which the Government refers cannot be traced. Please communicate such published statistics to the ILO if it has not yet been done (Article 5).

Article 16(3). The Committee notes with interest that the Government has the intention to accept the obligations of Article 12 of the Convention. It hopes that the necessary procedures will soon be accomplished.

Article 16(4). The Committee notes the information supplied in response to its previous comments regarding Articles excluded from the acceptance of obligations, and would make further comments on the following points: Article 11, noting that work is under way to determine methods for compiling statistics of labour cost, the Committee suggests that the Government may wish to receive technical comments from the Office on the relevant draft instructions as well as the plans for the labour cost sample survey; Article 13, the Committee notes with interest the initiative taken to have a project on household income and expenditure surveys with the cooperation of the World Bank, and requests the Government to provide information on developments in this respect; Articles 14 and 15, the Committee notes with interest the development of statistical series, respectively, on occupational injuries and on strikes and lockouts, and requests the Government to indicate developments in the extension of the scope and coverage of these statistics and to supply any further methodological information, in particular, regarding terminology and definitions, reporting procedures and data collection.

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1994, published 81st ILC session (1994)

The Committee notes the Government's first report. It notes with interest that, in the context of transition to a market economy, the Government has been making efforts to adhere better to the ILO standards and guidelines concerning the statistical concepts, definitions and methodology used (Article 2 of the Convention, see also comments on Articles 9 and 10 below). It also notes that the ILO has been providing technical assistance to Belarus in this respect. The Committee hopes that such assistance will help the Government to cope with the challenges of transition (such as the recording of the private sector activities and of wages) and at the same time to ensure better compliance with the Convention.

The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the following points.

Article 3. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the manner in which representative organizations of employers and workers are consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology used are designed or revised regarding Articles 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Articles 5 and 6. The Committee notes that the most recent statistical publication for Belarus available in the ILO refers to 1982. It therefore asks the Government to communicate to the ILO, as soon as practicable, the published statistics compiled in pursuance of the Convention and information concerning their publication as well as detailed descriptions of the sources, concepts, definitions and methodology used. Please also refer to the detailed requests below, regarding each accepted Article of Part II of the Convention.

Article 7. The Committee notes that no information is available on unemployment statistics and information is incomplete regarding employment statistics. It therefore requests the Government to provide further information on employment and, particularly, on unemployment statistics concerning their availability, frequency, reference period and source, the titles of the publications in which they are released as well as relevant methodological information.

In connection with Article 2, please indicate whether the latest standards and guidelines (such as the concepts and definitions of economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment elaborated by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 1982) have been followed.

Article 8. The Committee notes that, although censuses have been carried out regularly, discrepancies exist in classifications and that little information (data, methodology, publications, etc.) is made available to the ILO. Please supply further information in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 as mentioned above.

Articles 9 and 10, read together with Article 2. The Committee requests the Government to indicate (i) which actual changes have already been made to the concepts of earnings, in order to bring them in line with those contained, in particular, in the resolution concerning an integrated system of wages statistics adopted by the Twelfth ICLS in 1973; and (ii) whether the Government envisages adapting the industrial classification to the International Standard Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC) 1968 or 1988.

Article 9. The Committee notes that no data seem to be collected on hours actually worked or paid for, and on wage rates. It requests the Government to indicate: (i) whether various approaches and different levels of detail are applied to monthly, half-yearly and annual reporting on statistics of earnings; and whether the statistics of earnings will now cover all enterprises/establishments irrespective of their size and type of organization; and if not, what is the minimum threshold in terms of employment size; (ii) whether steps are being taken to collect, compile and publish statistics of hours of work, either hours actually worked or hours paid for; (iii) whether steps are being taken to collect, compile and publish statistics of wage rates, jointly with normal/contractual hours of work; and (iv) whether the establishment survey planned for 1993 is intended to produce statistics of occupational earnings.

Article 10. The Committee notes from the Government's report that the annual labour reports include data on wage structure. It however notes that no statistics of wage structure and distribution seem to have been produced as yet. The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate measures taken or envisaged to compile and to publish statistics of wage structure and distribution of workers by wage levels.

Article 16, paragraph 3. The Committee notes that, although obligations were not accepted in respect of Article 12 at the time of ratification, the compilation of consumer price indices appears to fulfil all the requirements under the Convention. It therefore draws the Government's attention to the possibility of accepting the obligations of Article 12, in accordance with Article 16, paragraph 3.

Article 16, paragraph 4. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide further information (available data as well as methodological descriptions) on the statistics covered by Articles 11, 13, 14 and 15, which were excluded from the acceptance of obligations, referring in particular to the following points: Article 11, whether steps are taken to produce, in the future, statistics of labour cost on the basis of the information derived from the "funds earmarked for consumption"; Article 13, the Committee would like to draw the Government's attention to the questionnaires on household income and expenditure survey, which the ILO has sent to the Government and which the Government can obtain again from the Office, if necessary, since such questionnaires would help the Government to communicate required information; Article 14, the communication to the ILO of statistics of occupational injuries would be much appreciated; Article 15, the Committee would appreciate information concerning strikes which, according to the report, has been collected on a monthly basis since 1990.