Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No. 1) - Syrian Arab Republic (Ratification: 1960)

Article 6 of the Convention. The Committee notes the indications in the Government's report that a draft Legislative Decree has been submitted to the President of the Council of Ministers with a view to amending certain sections of the Labour Code, No. 91 of 1959.

For very many years, the Committee has been referring to section 117 of the Labour Code which establishes that working hours and rest periods must be organized in such a way that the presence of the worker at the workplace does not exceed 11 hours per day. The Committee pointed out that such a situation could lead to abuse and has asked the Government on several occasions to amend the above section in such a way that, except where work is "of a specially intermittent nature", the presence of the worker shall not be required at the workplace outside the authorized hours of work. In this connection, it recalls that Article 2 of the Convention specifies that working hours shall not exceed eight in the day and 48 in the week.

The Committee trusts that the Government will take the necessary measures in the near future to bring its legislation into full conformity with the provisions of the Convention.