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

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

The Committee notes the information contained in the Government's very brief report for the period ending September 1998. The Government states that the 1994 programme for youth, drop-outs and women has finished and has not been renewed as it was not very successful. In its place, the Government is in the final stages of developing a National Reconstruction Plan, with assistance from the ILO, which is intended to support employment initiatives and to improve both education and the employment service. The Committee asks the Government to indicate whether the Plan has been enacted, and to supply details of its objectives and programmes. The Committee also requests that the Government provide information on the overall and sectoral development policies, including rural and regional policies, as requested in the report form under Article 1 of the Convention.

The Committee notes the comments sent by the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB). The VSB states that the Government's fiscal and monetary policies are exacerbating inflation; that high exchange rates, increasing foreign debt, and general poor governance have dampened economic growth; and that in general the Government's policies are unclear. Furthermore, the VSB considers that the Government's Economic and Social Council (SER) has not been effective. The Committee notes these comments and asks the Government to indicate how the experience and views of representatives of workers' and employers' organizations are taken into account in formulating and evaluating employment policies within a framework of coordinated economic and social policy, as required under Article 3, in conjunction with Article 2.

Lastly, the Committee notes that the Government has periodically undertaken to implement a system for statistical analysis of the labour market, with ILO technical cooperation. However, the project has not yet succeeded because, as the Government explains, there are no researchers to carry out the data collection and that, in any case, the response from trade and industry is poor. The Committee strongly encourages the Government to take measures to establish an adequate data collection system, and would appreciate receiving further information on any progress made, as requested in the report form under Article 2.