Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) - Eswatini (Ratification: 1992)

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 following points raised in its previous direct request:

Article 2. The Committee notes the Government's repeated indication that Swaziland follows the latest standards and guidelines established under the auspices of the ILO. It again asks the Government to specify, for each Article of the Convention for which the obligations were accepted (i.e. Articles 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15) which standards and guidelines are followed.

Article 7. The Committee notes that, in the Government's report, there is no new information on the conducting of the household survey, which was planned to start in December 1994 according to the Government's first report. It again requests the Government: (i) to indicate whether the latest international standards are followed when conducting this household survey (in accordance with Article 2) such as resolutions on the "Economically active population", "International Standard Classification of Occupations, ISCO 88" and on "International Classification by Status in Employment, ICSE 93" respectively adopted by the 13th, 14th and 15th International Conferences of Labour Statisticians; (ii) to communicate the compiled statistics and methodology to the ILO as soon as practicable (in accordance with Articles 5 and 6).

Article 8. The Committee recalls that the last population census was conducted in 1986 and that, according to Paragraph 2(1) of ILO Recommendation No. 170, structure and distribution of economically active population should be compiled at least every ten years. It asks the Government to indicate when a new census is expected. With regard to the 1986 census, the Committee draws the attention of the Government to the respective obligations under Articles 5 and 6, to provide the published statistics and methodological information, as well as the reference information concerning their publication to the ILO as soon as practicable, for instance on the economically active population classified by industry, occupations and status in employment.

Article 10. The Committee recalls that from available information there is no evidence that statistics are compiled on the composition of earnings and hours of work by main components and the distribution of employees according to levels of earnings and hours of work. It draws the Government's attention to the obligation under this Article to compile such statistics, according to the guidelines such as those contained under Paragraph 5 of Recommendation No. 170, and requests the Government to provide the relevant information with regard to the application of this Article.

Article 12. The Committee recalls that no information about the former base (September 1988=100) has been received in the ILO and notes that, in the meantime, a new series is compiled (base January 1996=100). It requests the Government to supply information concerning the coverage and weighting pattern for this new series. The Committee again asks the Government to communicate to the ILO up-to-date figures of consumer price indices regarding all items and food groups (according to Article 5) as well as the title and reference of the publication which contains the detailed methodological description of this new series of CPI (if any), and also this methodological description itself (according to Article 6).

Article 13. The Committee earlier noted that a new survey of household income and expenditure was conducted, beginning in December 1994, and again requests the Government to provide information about this survey, including the methods used, as well as the results, as soon as these become available (in accordance with Articles 5 and 6).

Article 14. The Committee notes that information on the number of persons injured, fatally or with lost work-time in 1992-96, reported to the Occupational Health and Safety Unit of the Department of Labour, is published in "Annual Report 1996" attached to the Government's report. It notes, however, that these data do not correspond to the figures supplied to the ILO for publication in the Yearbook. The Committee requests the Government to provide the published statistics of occupational injuries as well as the reference information concerning its publication to the ILO as soon as practicable in accordance with Article 5.

Article 15. The Committee requests the Government to submit data on strikes and lockouts to the ILO as soon as practicable in accordance with Article 5.

Article 16. The Committee recalls that the Central Statistical Office apparently collects and compiles statistics of average earnings which fulfil the basic requirements of Article 9(1). However, no statistics of hours of work (actually worked or paid for) seem to have been compiled up to now. The Committee further notes that the requirements of Article 9(2) are no longer fulfilled, since no statistics of average wage rates and normal hours of work seem to have been compiled since 1993. The Committee requests the Government to continue to indicate the position of its law and practice concerning statistics of hours of work (hours actually worked or hours paid for) (in accordance with Article 16(4)) and what steps, if any, are envisaged in order to compile such statistics according to the guidelines contained in Paragraph 3(1) and (2) of Recommendation No. 170.

As regards Article 11, of which obligations have not been accepted either, the Committee asks the Government to indicate the position of its law and practice concerning statistics of the level and composition of labour cost (in accordance with Article 16(4)) and which steps, if any, are envisaged in order to compile such statistics.