Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Colombia (Ratification: 1969)

The Committee notes that the Government's report does not contain information concerning the points raised in its previous direct request and it hopes that this information will be supplied in the next report.

1. Article 2, paragraph 2(a), of the Convention. The Committee has been referring for some years to the provisions of Act No. 1 of 1945 respecting compulsory military service, under which recruits can be assigned to civic military activities in order to provide assistance for the economically weak sectors of the population, in programmes such as the building of roads and bridges, the provision of medical services and the building of houses and schools.

The Committee noted the Government's indications that civic military activities have the dual objective of creating an adequate infrastructure for the purposes of defence and at the same time of benefiting the community that will make use of them.

The Committee points out once again that the only exception to this provision of the Convention is any work or service exacted in virtue of compulsory military service laws which is of a purely military character. The Committee once again requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the non-military work carried out by conscripts, whether voluntarily or as part of their training, is explicitly referred to as such in the legislation.

2. In its previous comments, the Committee referred to section 125 of Decree No. 89 of 1984, reorganising the career of officers and non-commissioned officers of the military forces, the full text of which has been forwarded by the Government with its last report. Under the above section, officers and non-commissioned officers of the military forces may apply for retirement from active service at any time and their application is granted where at the discretion of the competent authority there are no reasons of national security or special service reasons that require them to remain in service.

In order to assess the scope of section 125, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the criteria employed by the competent authority with regard to the "special service reasons" referred to in the provision. The Committee also requests the Government to supply information on the time-limits envisaged for the acceptance of retirement applications submitted by members of the armed forces.