Observation (CEACR) - adoptée 2007, publiée 97ème session CIT (2008)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report indicating that the Minimum Wage Act of 1949, which provides for the establishment of minimum wage councils, is still in force. It also notes that such councils continue to exist solely for the rice-milling and the cigar- and cheroot‑rolling industries. In this regard, the Committee notes the data sent by the Government concerning the number of enterprises and workers covered by such councils. The Committee is nevertheless forced to note that the Government’s report does not respond to the points raised in its previous comments concerning the following matters: (i) the extension of the minimum wage fixing machinery to other industries such as the printing, oil-milling and garment industries, which, according to the Government, has been under consideration for a number of years; (ii) the raising of the minimum wage rates applied in the rice-milling and the cigar- and cheroot-rolling industries, which, according to the Government’s recent reports, are no longer in line with market wages; (iii) the providing of up to date information on the application of the Convention in practice and, in particular, on the minimum wage rates currently in force in various industries; (iv) the providing of comparative statistics on the evolution of economic indicators, such as the inflation rate in recent years and minimum wage levels over the same period, and extracts from official reports and relevant studies; (v) the communication of data on inspection visits carried out, any reported violations of minimum wage legislation, and the measures taken to remedy the situation.

The Committee asks the Government to provide comprehensive information on these various matters in its next report. It once again urges the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the scope and level of minimum wage rates are such as to permit those rates to fulfil their role as tools of social protection and poverty reduction.

[The Government is asked to report in detail to the present comments in 2008.]