Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1996, published 85th ILC session (1997)

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

The Committee notes the Government's first report, and requests the Government to supply further information on the following points.

Article 2 of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government's indication that Swaziland follows the latest standards and guidelines established under the auspices of the ILO, and 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 3. The Committee notes the Government's indication that the representative organizations of employers and workers are consulted when the concepts, definitions and methodology used are designed or revised. It asks the Government to indicate more precisely, for each of Articles 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15, the manner in which such consultations are made.

Article 7. The Committee notes that current employment statistics are regularly compiled and published, giving partial effect to this Article. Concerning the annual establishment survey of employment and wages, it asks the Government to send to the ILO the relative statistical publications as soon as practicable (in accordance with Article 5), and also to forward methodological information on this establishment survey (in accordance with Article 6).

With regard to the household survey conducted in December 1994, the Committee 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 draws the attention of the Government to the respective obligations under Articles 5 and 6, to provide data and methodological information 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 notes 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 notes that a new series of consumer price indices is compiled (base September 1988=100), and asks the Government to provide information concerning their coverage and weighting pattern. The Committee asks the Government to communicate to the ILO up-to-date figures (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 (according to Article 6).

Article 13. The Committee notes that a new survey of household income and expenditure was conducted, beginning in December 1994, and requests the Government to provide information about the 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 with interest that the quality of the information compiled and published is satisfactory as regards statistics of occupational injuries and occupational diseases. It asks the Government to state if there are plans to collect information relating to work time lost as a result of occupational injuries.

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 notes with interest that the Government has supplied information on statistics covered by Articles 9 and 11 which were excluded from the acceptance of obligation at the time of ratification. It notes in particular 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. Similarly, statistics of average monthly wage rates and weekly normal hours of work seem to be compiled from the same source as average earnings, which fulfils the basic requirements of Article 9(2), although no methodological information is available to assess the reliability of such statistics. The Committee therefore draws the attention of the Government to the possibility of accepting obligations of Article 9 (in accordance with Article 16(3)), since they appear to be at least partially met by the compilation and publication of statistics of average monthly earnings, average monthly wage rates and normal weekly hours of work, in spite of their limitation to the formal sector of the economy. The Committee requests the Government to continue to indicate in any case 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 paragraphs 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.