Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2001, published 90th ILC session (2002)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Aruba

The Committee notes with regret that no report has been received from the Government. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the following matters raised in its previous direct request:

 1. Article 1(1) and Article 2(1) of the Convention. Referring to its observation of satisfaction made in 1998 on the application of the Convention in the Netherlands, the Committee requests the Government to supply in its next report information on the freedom of workers in general as well as government officials and military officers in Aruba to leave their employment by giving notice of reasonable length.

 2. Article 2(2)(c). In its earlier comments the Committee asked the Government to provide a copy of the new ordinance and regulations regarding prison services. It has notes the Government’s statement in the report that the ordinance has not yet been made public and requests the Government to supply a copy of the ordinance and regulations as soon as they are adopted.

 3. Article 25. The Committee previously requested information on cases of practical application of sanctions for the illegal imposition of forced labour, having regard especially to the question of foreign workers. It notes from the Government’s report that the Public Employees Union of Aruba (SEPA) urges the Government to maintain a separate registration of complaints submitted to the Labour Department by foreigners as regards matters covered by the Convention. The SEPA has also mentioned a "Beta-hotel case" as an example of forced labour, though there was no court decision on that case. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the matter and to supply extracts of court decisions as regards complaints related to forced labour submitted to the Labour Department, which are referred to by the Government as attached to its report, but have not been received by the ILO.