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

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Seychelles (Ratification: 1978)

The Committee notes that the Government's report contains no reply to previous comments. It hopes that the next report will include full information on the following matters raised in its previous direct request.

Article 1(1) and Article 2(1) of the Convention. The Committee's earlier comments concerned the right to resign from public and particularly military service. The Committee hopes the next report will include a copy of section 132 of the Public Service Orders. The Committee refers to paragraphs 67 to 73 of its 1979 General Survey of the abolition of forced labour and requests the Government to provide information on the current practice, in particular regarding the freedom of persons, who have received training, to resign.

The Committee notes the Government's statement in its report that no prisoners are requested to work for private individuals, companies or associations. However, the Committee refers to its general observation on the Convention made in its report to the 87th Session of the International Labour Conference (1999) and would be grateful if the Government would include in its next report information as to the present position in law and practice as regards:

(i) whether there are prisons administered by private concerns, profit-making or otherwise;

(ii) whether any private prison contractors deploy prisoners to work either inside or outside prison premises, either for the account of the contractor or for that of another enterprise;

(iii) whether private parties are admitted by the prison authorities into prison premises of any kind for the purpose of engaging prisoners in employment;

(iv) whether employment of prisoners outside prison premises, either for a public authority or for a private enterprise, is allowed;

(v) the conditions in which employment under any of the above conditions takes place, in respect of remuneration (indicating the level and comparing it with any minimum wage normally applicable to such work), benefits accruing (such as pension rights and workers' compensation), observance of occupational safety and health legislation and other conditions of employment (e.g. through labour inspection), and how those conditions are determined;

(vi) what the source of any remuneration is (whether from public or private funds) and for what purposes it must or may be applied (e.g. for the personal use of the prisoner or if it is subject to compulsory deductions);

(vii) for whose benefit is the product of prisoners' work and any surplus profit deriving from it, after deduction of overheads, and how it is disbursed;

(viii) how the consent of the prisoners concerned is guaranteed, so that it is free from the menace of any penalty, including any loss of privileges or other disadvantages following from a refusal to work.