Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1991, published 78th ILC session (1991)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Suriname (Ratification: 1976)

1. The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous direct request, and of the various documents appended to the report. It notes that the medium-term development plan ("Meerparen Ontwikkelingsprogramma" - MOP) is being examined by the National Assembly. The Committee hopes that the next report will contain information on the situation, level and trends of employment and unemployment and on the employment objectives laid down in the MOP indicating, in due course, the extent to which they have been or are in the process of being attained (Article 1 of the Convention). It asks the Government to provide a copy of the MOP or relevant extracts. Please also provide information on the following questions:

2. The Committee takes note of the information contained in the document "Suriname: The challenges to meet the social debt, 1980-87" prepared in co-operation with the PREALC. This document sets out the main lines of the Government's economic policy, which the Government will negotiate with the social partners, and contains proposals for job creation programmes. It stresses the importance that has been attached to increasing productivity in the formal and informal sectors of the economy and, in particular, the priority accorded to investment in activities that general productive employment and the fight against poverty. Furthermore, the Social Investment Fund (SIF) as a short-term policy instrument, should assist in the implementation of emergency employment programmes for the poorest sectors of the population. To this end, resources should be allocated to small enterprises and to the productive units of the informal sector. The Committee hopes that the Government's next report will contain information on progress made in the implementation of the above-mentioned policies, and on measures to meet the needs of young people and other specific categories of workers, such as older workers, disabled workers and women.

3. The Committee notes that the foundation and growth of co-operative enterprises is to be encouraged and that a National Council for Co-operative Societies will be set up for this purpose. It asks the Government to give particulars of the measures that have been taken or are contemplated to promoted co-operatives as a source of productive employment, particularly for young people who have completed their education, and on the composition, operation and functions of the above-mentioned Council.

4. The Committee takes note of the technical co-operation project entitled "Employment Planning and Policy Formulation/Implementation". It notes that, in the immediate future, the project aims to assist in establishing a system for collecting and analysing statistical and other data on the labour market and strengthen the means for and improve the methods of formulating and planning employment policies and drawing up and implementing special programmes to promote employment. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate the action undertaken in this respect including with regard to the questions raised above, and in particular the measures taken to ensure co-ordination of education and training policies with employment prospects, macro-economic policies and sectoral policies. Please indicate also any factors which may have prevented or delayed such action (Part V of the report form).

5. Article 3. The Committee takes note of Act No. 95 of 1988 establishing the State Council as a consultative and supervisory body whose 14 members, including the two trade union representatives and the representative of the employers' organisations, are appointed by the President of the Republic. Furthermore, according to the information supplied by the ILO Caribbean Office, tripartite consultations were held at the preparatory phase of the technical co-operation project mentioned in point 4 above, which provides for a tripartite advisory body to be created to monitor its implementation. The Committee welcomes the actions undertaken to involve the representatives of the persons concerned in the measures to be taken in the preparation and monitoring of the general policy and the employment policy. It asks the Government to provide additional information on this matter and to specify the procedure for appointing the representatives of employers' and workers' organisations to the State Council, and the manner in which the representatives of other sectors of the active population are consulted, such as persons occupied in the informal sector, to ensure their co-operation in formulating and implementing employment policy.