Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131) - Syrian Arab Republic (Ratification: 1972)

The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s reports in reply to its previous comments.

Article 1 of the Convention. The Committee notes that according to the Government’s explanations concerning the fixing of minimum wages for workers in the home working trades, domestic servants remain excluded from the application of the Labour Code whereas home workers are fully covered by its minimum wage-fixing provisions. The Committee would be glad if the Government would indicate in future reports any decisions or measures which may be taken with a view to prescribing minimum wage rates for domestic workers, or persons treated as such, who are currently excluded from the scope of the general labour legislation. In this connection, the Committee refers again to its general observation of 1985 concerning Convention No. 26 in which it had expressed the hope that governments would make every effort to extend the protection afforded by a system of minimum wages to workers in the home working trades in view of the particular vulnerability of those workers. The Committee also recalls paragraphs 79 and 86 of its General Survey of 1992 on minimum wages in which it expressed the view that since minimum wages constitute one of the more important elements which contribute to an improvement of the working and living conditions of workers, ratifying States should take the necessary measures to broaden the coverage of their minimum wage-fixing systems and thereby offer workers more adequate protection.

Article 5 and Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the information concerning the minimum monthly wage rates for unskilled workers by district as last fixed in 1997. It also notes that there are at present 220 occupations for which minimum wage orders have been promulgated. It would appreciate receiving copies of any of those orders which have not been previously communicated to the Office. Furthermore, the Committee requests the Government to continue to supply all available information regarding the application of the Convention in practice, including for instance statistics on the number and different categories of workers covered by relevant legislation, extracts from inspection reports showing the number of infringements and sanctions imposed, texts of judicial decisions dealing with questions of principle relating to the application of the Convention as well as any other particulars bearing on the functioning of the minimum wage fixing machinery.