Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 1994, publiée 81ème session CIT (1994)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report. It would be grateful if the Government would supply additional information in its next report on the following points:

1. Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes that no provision in the national legislation gives effect to the above Articles. It notes the intention of the Ministry of Labour to examine the possibility of adopting specific provisions concerning the manual transport of loads which, by reason of their weight, are likely to jeopardize the health or safety of the workers. The Committee draws the Government's attention to the ILO study "Maximum weights in load lifting and carrying" (Occupational Safety and Health Series, No. 59) which contains information on the law and practice in this respect in a number of States. The Committee requests the Government to supply a copy of the text of the provisions in question when they have been adopted, as well as any information on the progress achieved in this respect.

2. Article 5. The Government states in its report that the Permanent Committee on Trade Union Training and Workers' Education will be made responsible for providing the necessary training, under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and in collaboration with employers and their organizations, on techniques to protect the health and prevent accidents during the manual transport of loads. The Committee requests the Government to supply information on the activities of the above Permanent Committee with regard to the training of workers assigned to the manual transport of loads and on any other measure which has been taken or is envisaged to give effect to the Convention on this point.

3. Article 6. The Committee takes due note of the modernization of the means used for the transport of loads in private companies and construction sites with a view to limiting and facilitating the manual transport of loads. It hopes that measures of this nature have been undertaken or are envisaged in other sectors of the economy to which the provisions of the Convention apply, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 2, and requests the Government to indicate the progress achieved in this respect.

4. Article 7. Section 23 of the Labour Code and Annex 2 to the Code restrict the assignment of young workers of under 16 years to the manual transport of loads other than light loads. In order to give full effect to this Article of the Convention, measures must be taken to:

(a) limit the assignment to such work of women and young workers between 16 and 18 years of age;

(b) fix a maximum weight for the loads which may be transported by persons under 18 years of age and by women.

With regard to the information on the weight which may be fixed for young persons under 18 years of age, which the Government intends to request from the ILO, the Committee points out that information on this subject is also to be found in the publication "Maximum weights in load lifting and carrying" referred to above.

5. Article 8. The Committee notes that the Government refers on several occasions in its report to the provisions which will be adopted in the future to give effect to the Convention. It hopes that these new provisions will be adopted in the near future and recalls that they must apply to all branches of economic activity in respect of which a system of labour inspection is maintained, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 2. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply information on the progress achieved in this respect and if it would supply copies of the texts as soon as they are adopted.

The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report the manner in which the most representative organizations of employers and workers concerned have been consulted in the preparation of the new provisions.